Tag: comedy

Melbourne Fringe review: The Worm

On By rlsmithwritingIn ReviewsLeave a comment

Online dating is tough – if you’ve done it you know what I mean, dating apps have made meeting people highly transactional. A never ending sea of faces, often not the ones that show up on a date, weeks of chatting and creating a projected image of potential partners, random ghosting. Perfect content for comedic story telling when you think about it.

The Worm created by comedian Taylah Whelan and on at Melbourne Fringe Festival makes a comedic soup of online dating and our associated anxieties. Whelan embarks on dates to have hot sex with a man she’s not interested in, an over confident but under talented wannabe screenwriter, and a woman who is well adjusted and interested. And how is a girl supposed to deal with that? Whelan’s crushing anxiety and the quiet rumblings of a talking animatronic worm sabotage everyone of them.

Did you know that earthworms possess not one heart, but five?

With great comedic timing and witty one liners, Whelan has created a funny and insightful show telling a story about the anxiety ridden reality of modern dating, the vulnerability of our efforts to connect, and being our own worst enemy.

The Worm is produced by SKINT and directed by Caitlin Soennichsen. Wriggle over to the Fringe website to grab a ticket to The Worm, playing at the Motley Bauhaus in The Cellar till Sunday 5th October. 

Melbourne Fringe review: Annie and Lena Have a Talk Show

On By rlsmithwritingIn ReviewsLeave a comment

The gals from Annie and Lena Have a Talk Show are on before the show even starts. Ushering the crowd in, hustling, trying to make us take sides. Annie and Lena are talk show production assistants with passion, drive and ambition – the narrative arc that ties the show neatly together as they take us behind the scenes of their work.

There is a great vibe between Annie and Lena as they make their way up the ranks and introduce the audience to a range of talk show hosts and their guests. Annie and Lena transform smoothly from one character to another to deliver skits scattered with references to ‘real’ talk show hosts and known celebrities, including Steve Irwin’s unknown third child. There is also the purely fictional, including a six year old gamer with a disturbing ruthlessness.

As their careers progress for production assistants through to video editors, script writers and eventually to hosts of their own prank show, Annie Lumsden and Lena Moon keep the energy high and the gags flowing ranging from fart jokes, to great impressions of southern American show hosts, to feminist fails with Betty Boop-Oop-a-Doop.

Produced for Melbourne Fringe by Kaite Head of SKINT Productions, and sound design by Olivia Mckenna, Annie and Lena Have a Talk Show runs till Sunday 20th October at Trades Hall Festival Hub in Carlton. Grab a ticket, catch the show, have a laugh, and get a drink at the bar afterward.

Fringe review: De-Tours of Melbourne

On By rlsmithwritingIn ReviewsLeave a comment

I love going on walking tours when I travel – It’s such a great way to really see a city, discover its nooks and crannies, learn about its culture, and get the lay of the land.

De-Tours of Melbourne, part of Melbourne Fringe, turns this idea on its head. Imagine trailing Seraphine (comedian Jenna Schroder), a French detective brandishing a baguette and marching around the CBD trying to solve the mystery of who controls the city. And she was pretty impressive – saved the Amazon rain forest with only one anaconda apparently.

You’ll debate what’s going on behind some of Melbourne’s secret walls, strut down hidden alleyways, visit some of the CBD’s oldest buildings and boutique businesses, pick locks and find out what your comrades favourite TV shows are.

De-Tours of Melbourne is a wacky romp through the laneways and history of the city we love – exercise, fresh air and a good belly laugh. There’s a big dose of clever improvisation in this ‘show’ and it’s just plain old fashioned fun. Plus you’ll get your 10,000 steps in.

So go on, shake off a day at the office by choosing your own adventure and seeing our city through different eyes. I did the mystery tour, but you can also go on a rom-com or spooky stories adventure – and there’s a discount for your second and third outings! But you have to go on your first trip to find out how that works.

De-Tours of Melbourne runs till Saturday 21st October. Tickets at Melbourne Fringe.