Heart, Sword And Perseverance
The Garage International, Sat Mar 1
A somewhat unusual venue, a modest but intrigued crowd and a half-hour (recruitment?) movie that was sometimes amateurish but also frequently illuminating. Co-producer/director/editor/et cetera Andrew Bush’s documentary (in association with Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo and other martial arts groups) follows the cultural conceptions of the ninja, the truth of the form (ninjutsu) versus the images portrayed in cinema (and beyond) and the continuing study of the form into the present day, with high-rankers including Roy Wilkinson, Grandmaster Takamatsu, Grandmaster Hatsumi and others explaining the title and attempting to offer an explanation as to why they continue with the mysterious pursuit. An absolute must for devotees of such disciplines - while others will be reassured that it isn’t, in fact, possible for a ninja to perform a backwards triple-somersault through helicopter blades.
DB

Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience
Old Adelaide Inn (Wakefield Room), Sat Mar 1
Just one of the offerings from Interactive Theatre Australia, this cringingly funny evening’s entertainment begins with ‘Basil Faulty’ (a formidable Nigel Bell), a nightmarishly-bewigged Sybil (Alison Pollard-Mansergh) and the uncannily authentic Manuel (Andy Foreman when I caught the show and Tony Nixon later) summoning the ‘guests’ from the cocktail bar and attempting to seat them in the restaurant. As the three course meal is served, the deliciously stressful fun begins: Basil scolds one and all for putting their elbows on the table and drips John Cleese-calibre contempt; Sybil ‘sings’ birthday wishes (eeeek!); the much-abused Manuel engages in an elaborately obvious but nonetheless joyous plate-breaking gag; and set-ups straight from the series Fawlty Towers kick off in earnest, including the horse-racing bet trick, a brief ‘Don’t Mention The War’ glimpse and, to everyone’s sheer delight, the escaped rat (“Is Siberian Hamster!”) routine (and no, it doesn’t involve actual vermin). Traumatically hilarious - or should that be hilariously traumatic? - this is genuinely one of the Fringe’s best and worth every penny (and insult).
DB
Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience continues at Sarah’s Café, Strathmore Hotel and the Old Adelaide Inn on select dates throughout the Fringe until Sun Mar 16.

Taylor Made – The Songs Of James Taylor

Nexus Caberet – Lion Arts Centre, Fri Feb 29
US folk rock singer-songwriter James Taylor’s music is practically the definition of “dad rock” – so, appropriately enough, I decided to let my dad review this heartfelt tribute show: “Luke Thompson’s seven-piece band does more than justice to the warmth of James Taylor’s songs in this homage. From the familiar quiet acoustic numbers to up-tempo pieces and a re-worked and jumping Steamroller Blues, this is a tribute that really works. Thompson has the perfect voice for the task and his enthusiasm for his subject is obvious. The guitar accompaniments and keyboards are highlights, and Shower The People hinted at a real talent in the backing vocals. This feel-good night of nostalgia for most in the audience found the band (almost) unprepared for an encore.” Nice work, dad – and you too, Luke.

Owen & Ross Heitmann

Jazz At The Black Note
Dom Polski Centre, Fri Feb 29
The legendary Dom Polski Centre is the ideal venue for jazz, where we heard the well-measured and tastefully modulated saxophones (tenor and soprano) of Mr James Annesley and his able and supportive ensemble. Advertised as a quartet but actually a trio, Corey Hall played double bass and Rob Eyers played drums. The band presented sensitive and free roaming renditions of great tunes such as You Don’t Know What Love Is and Bye Bye Blackbird with an elegant and deliberately understated intensity, not to mention a decent nod to authenticity and genuine style. Hall’s bass playing was a highlight during the Latin numbers, well backed up by Eyers’ drumming, who made a solid effort to play within the range of the musical era the band was successfully evoking.
Ricky Hooper
Jazz At The Black Note continues at Dom Polski Centre at 7pm until Sun Mar 16.

The Essential Fitch & John
Electric Light Hotel, Fri Feb 29
This duo, Jarrod Fitch and Scott John, are indeed a handsome pair. Decked out in matching grey suits, they could have been Mormons except for the material they delivered. John’s ‘Shit Bar Jokes’ and Tiger Airlines observations were hilarious, while Fitch kept the audience amused with his John Howard/Kevin Rudd impersonations. Highlights included the Plight Of The Polar Bear and the Naked Debt Collector improvisational sketches, providing maximum audience participation and showcasing exactly why these guys are regarded as real comic talents.
Rosie van Heerde
The Essential Fitch & John continues at Electric Light Hotel at 9pm until Sat Mar 15.

Do You Remember?
QA Bar - The Annex, Fri Feb 29
The wonderful vocals provided by local songstress Ria Loof, as well as Peter Noble and Rose Senesi, transported the audience back to the sequins and glitter of that beloved disco era where real men wore spandex and women didn’t seem to notice. Following the trials and tribulations of a young couple in and out of love, this show manages to pack in all the chartbusters of the era such as Got To Get You Into My Life, Blame It On The Boogie, Lady Marmalade and more. It was impossible to sit in the audience and not yell out to the person next to you – “Oh my God, I remember this one!”. Definitely a dream come true for all those tragic disco devotees out there.
Rosie van Heerde

The Real World
PJ O’Briens, Fri Feb 29
The Real World is based on some linked elements of philosophy spun as comedy and naturally includes sex, drugs and politics. Ben Darsow is a local bloke, comedy finalist and award winner, he has confidence without being cocky and he has great engagement with his audience, being able to include them without necessarily putting them down (which is the usual grist for comedians). Ben’s stand-up routine is punctuated by some visual prompts – thankfully he gave PowerPoint a miss – and towards the end a brief ‘home’ (well, more likely gym) video. He has pretty good links to a number of diverse comments, topics and lines that sadly includes a mention of Port’s last major game (how could that ever be funny?)! Support local comedy and go and see this show.
Clayton Werner
The Real World continues at PJ O’Briens at 9.30pm until Sat Mar 15.

Songs From The Heart: Songs By Women For Women From Medieval France
St. Cyprian Church, Fri Feb 29
Angelic songs with lovely maidens spinning and sewing threads of gold into a felt scroll, singing in voices sweet as mead. Odes and laments, expressions of passionate love by women for their lovers. A fair young maiden scorns her mother for marrying her off, when she prefers her ‘friend’. The music and costumes transport the audience to a time when the nightingale sang under the willow tree, a time of kings, queens, peasants, and crusaders. Songs of disapproving husbands put aside for a lover. Enchanting musical arrangements; Troveresse features a full sized harp, French medieval organetta, tenor recorder and bodran drum. Medieval French sung in dulcet tones. The perfect pitch resounds beautifully in the acoustics of the quaint little Saint Cyprian church. All the evening lacked was a goblet of mead.
Angeli Starr & Kimberley Mann

Nancy Boy
Garage International, Fri Feb 29
Nancy Boy takes a fond but uncompromising verbal stiletto to the fools, hypocrites and proto-fascists of our time, revealing a glimpse of how our imperfect world might look devoid of such ignorance. Probably also explaining the surprising performance maturity of this youthful ‘nance’, the hurly-burly, jugular-orientated political cut-and-thrust of Melbourne’s seedy underbelly takes on the conceits of prime ministers past and present, ‘all gays are lefties’ stereotyping and – inevitably – the politeness of dear old mannered Adelaide. Striking (mostly) pure notes and a range of stock poses, this winsome mover takes full possession of the difficult genre of politico-sexual satire. Warmth and generosity shine through and the home-away-from-home crowd sparkles. Subtle piano accompaniment by Mark Fitzgibbon adds lustre, as does the beautiful high-ceilinged hall whose dimly-lit side entrance provides a beautiful metaphor for the whole illuminating show.
Kate Battersby & Ian Newton

Going Ape At The Zoo
Adelaide Zoo, Fri Feb 29
The Adelaide Zoo resonated with the sounds of comedy and laughter, and the occasional lion’s roar. Witty Newcastle comedian Kent Valentine played MC and was hilarious between acts, firstly introducing Adelaide’s own award-winning Mickey D, who was his usual lovable self with his good old Aussie-boy stories, which included a drunken trip to Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Following him was The D, who had no problems with getting laughs when making fun of his quadriplegia. His gym workout and treadmill story, complete with descriptive mime, had everyone rolling with laughter. Adelaide boy Big Al also enjoyed his self-deprecating humour, poking fun at his own excessive weight, while Irish Dave Callan was the perfect closing act. He’s hilarious, confident and relatable. The Zoo is a fabulous atmosphere for comedy, so put it on your Adelaide Fringe 2009 calendar.
Catherine Blanch with Daryl & Bec Shepherdson

Best Of The Fest Late Show At The Gov
Governor Hindmarsh, Fri Feb 29
At just over two hours of solid entertainment, this classic evening promises a ruthless barrage of adult laughs! Not only is Best Of The Fest great value, it promises to have you laughing even if it’s against your better nature. It also holds the sentiment of the Fringe close to its heart: take a chance on the comic line-up – they’re a mix of our local talent and international guests – and all great.
See this for a full-frontal assault of good, solid and slightly naughty laughs in this packed-out venue with vibe. The comedians barely take time to draw breath and neither are you likely to have the chance to.
Jenny Smith
Best Of The Fest Late Show At The Gov continues at Governor Hindmarsh at 10pm until Sat Mar 15.

Deal With It!
Jah’z Lounge, Fri Feb 29
This isn’t a comedy. Isabelle Danforth-Smith delivers a raw and poignant performance in this semi-autobiographical play about the death of a parent and the gamut of emotions experienced in the wake of that death. This small venue in the heart of Fringe-land provides the perfect setting for this intimate experience. It’s thought provoking and you can’t help but be affected by this personal account of grief and how it touches us all. Isabelle’s portrayal as a young 20-something losing her ‘best friend’ is stirring and you really do get a sense of the vulnerability of the soul following such a life changing event.
Belinda Marsden
Deal With It! continues at the Jah’z Lounge until Sat Mar 8.

Music Of The Spheres
Mawson Lakes Planetarium, Sat Mar 1
Certainly a fitting venue for an AV fix! The visuals, from the Planetarium’s night sky displays to the Hubble’s pictures to a selection of ‘starwheel mandalas’, provide a colourful insight into outer and inner space. The audience is very comfortably seated around the Planetarium’s periphery and the aural creation (ie music) of Sacred Resonance is meant to take you into a transcendent plane of existence. Previous shows by these guys have won Fringe Awards, so the audience should have high expectations. However the prospective audience shouldn’t be too put off by the composer’s jargon-filled descriptives. You may or may not have your ‘mind, body, spirit network augmented with joy, ecstasy and freedom’ for 80 or so minutes, but it can be equally enjoyed by sceptics and those who are more attuned to ‘the celestial realms of glory’.
Clayton Werner

The Weather Girl (Very Loosely Based On Vivaldi’s Four Seasons!)
Holden Street Theatres – The Studio, Sat Mar 1
A fan of Tomoaki Hosoyama’s movie The Weather Girl, I can assure the reader this show is not related in any way, but is every bit as quirkily amusing. Based around Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with a sub theme of frustrated and thwarted love, this clever show is pulled together by the cheeky and highly likeable Janet Hattam, who works through a demanding set of difficult and sometimes reassembled songs with appealing and earthy panache. Strongly supported by the delightful well-disciplined Eliza Jones Flute Orchestra, a quintet on its own worth the price of admission, the show segues from season to season, song to song so easily time passes quickly indeed. A most enjoyable show.
Ricky Hooper
The Weather Girl continues at Holden Street Theatres at 9.30pm on Sun Mar 16.

A Dinner Date With Lorelei And Sarina
Sarah’s Café, Sat Mar 1
A spoof on 1920s stylised feather fan dance. Copacabana. Knee high white Barbarella boots. One expected a little more dancing. The show comprises fantastic costumes and a variety of deliberately sexy poses. Tropical cruise ship feel. How many ostriches were sacrificed for their infamous fan dance? Petite bodies, large, fluffy fans. Soundtracks from Carmen Miranda, Edith Piaf and Nina Simone. Diners were waiting too long between acts. A ventriloquist MC. These two show girls coerced audience members up to shake maracas while they slipped off for a quick costume change. This show relies on sex appeal. Tail feathers quiver. “Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it.”
Angie Starr & K*m Mann
A Dinner Date With Lorelei And Sarina continues at Sarah’s Cafe at 7pm on Sat Mar 15.

Dave Hughes – Hughesy Goes Bananas
Thebarton Theatre, Sat Mar 1
Fantastic as his own spruiker, Dave Hughes and his relatively monotone voice burst onto the stage feeling totally pumped and loving Adelaide during Fringe time. Although I sometimes struggled from behind the boof-head in front on me (why me?), it was hilarious to see how hard Dave works for his art; bulging eyes and a red face as he goes off about things like water restrictions, speeding fines, petrol, football and cricket. Even funnier is seeing him hang his head in hand when he knows he’s gone too far – like sooky attention-seeking Biggest Losers who could have their own competition to see who could do the most reupholstering with their left-over baggy skin. Dave was totally on the ball, and in his own words, “Good on him! Good on everyone! Fuckin’ great to be here!” And it was!
Catherine Blanch

Death By Chocolate
Tin Cat Café, Sat Mar 1
What do you get if you mix murder and mastication? A good-natured gathering at Rundle Street’s funked up Tin Cat Café. Those not already in the know quickly realised they were not in for a passive night of watching the actors do all the work. Our mission: to solve a murder by sifting through clues and interviewing the suspects; a willing and fun bunch of actors who stayed in character throughout the entire ordeal. The actors did their best to aid us wannabe-detectives as we launched in – some more determined than others – through the Tin Cat’s crowds, offering us morsels and titbits of clues, red herrings and rich chocolate delicacies. Do this if you’re seeking something different from the usual slack-jawed onlookers.
Jenny Smith
Death By Chocolate continues at The Tin Cat Café at 8pm until Sat Mar 15.

2008 TheatreSports
Excelsior Hall, Sun Mar 2
In its fifth year of presenting Fringe Festival TheatreSports™, Improv Now! continues its habit of celebrating the absurdly outlandish and sublimely ridiculous. Teams competed for audience approval in a series of challenges that tested swiftness of thought and comic flair to at times marvellous spontaneous effect. There were other moments, however, that were on the painful side, but that’s par for the course in improv theatre. The actors - too many to mention and I can’t remember their names anyway - were energetic and fun to watch, the little guy with ‘Tarzan’ tendencies was especially impressive. In short, a fun, family evening – it has to be since audience participation was limited to G-rated suggestions. It’s definitely worth an hour of your time to go along and enjoy.
Rosie van Heerde
2008 TheatreSports continues at Excelsior Hall at various times until Sun Apr 6.

Melbourne Ukelele Kollective
The Governor Hindmarsh, Sat Mar 1
Is there anything you can’t do with a ukulele? It was the Adelaide Ukulele Appreciation Society, about 50-strong, who introduced the large audience to the uke, drawing roaring approval. People sat singing, clapping, stamping their feet and laughing in recognition of songs they otherwise knew; with inspired arrangements the ukulele is as evocative as a guitar. The Melbourne Ukelele Kollective dazzled, coming costumed and carrying an array of ukuleles. With kazoos to accompany - and occasionally harmonica or violin - they presented covers from Pink Floyd, Louis Armstrong and Guy Mitchell. We heard examples of Dixieland and Big Band, and clever reggae mash-ups; proving The Adelaide Ukulele Appreciation Society’s contention that the humble ukulele is an object of legitimate emotional expression. At times a music history, at others a sweet rendering of near memories, with every moment vividly entertaining.
BT Cassidy

Rockapella
Grainger Room Foyer, Sat Mar 1/
Blink And You’ll Miss It
BCS Westcare & Karpandi Arts Centre, Sat Mar 1
A cappella! It is Italian for ‘how to save money on the band’. This involves creating music with nothing but the human voice. It’s something I love and get to see far too seldom, so while the rest of the rock folk were having their brains done in at Soundwave, I hit two different shows sans instruments. Rockapella, having promised reworkings of classic rock songs, certainly had its moments but my suspicion is that they are usually more of a choral collection. Robbie Williams’ Let Me Entertain You was a great start; it was fun and a strong arrangement. Queen’s Somebody To Love was impressive and goose-bump inspiring. While all were fine voices, there was many missed opportunities to utilise 16 singers in more textured ways. There was an impressive section where they did a 5.1 surround thing standing in front, sides and back of the audience which was quite cool. Announcing each set of three songs ahead of time was a mistake, removing any element of surprise from what should have be a surprising set. Happy Birthday Helen (Things Of Stone & Wood) was an unexpected but most welcome inclusion, as was the rousing set closer Rawhide. I found the fact the entire choir were reading from lyric books extremely distracting.
Across town was a different story. Heaven Knows turned in a powerful entertaining and fuller sounding performance with 12 less voices than the first show. Getting off to a great start with Joe Jackson’s Is She Really Going Out With Him, (with the gals scrunching up their noses in response to the musical question) they used good comic timing, some props and impressively arranged material to win this a cappella battle. Covering material from Ben Harper, Paul Kelly, The Beatles and Peter Tosh amongst others, their version of Phil Spector’s To Know Him Is To Love Him was a comic highlight. I could’ve lived without Bright Eyes (There is no version of that song I ever need to hear again unless Rammstein have a go at it), but apart from that it was terrific.
Ian Bell
Blink And You’ll Miss It takes place at Westcare & Karpandi Arts Centre at 8.15pm on Sat Mar 15.