All posts filed under: Reviews

Review: The Carnival of Lost Souls

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Sucked down a rabbit hole, into a dark, magical 19th century gothic circus, we attended the world premiere of The Carnival of Lost Souls last weekend in the perfect setting of the Melba Spiegeltent, Collingwood – and we loved it a little bit. The story itself was built around a tragic love triangle, a beautiful tortured soul gypsy lady, pined after by the unnoticed sad-faced clown, as she herself has already given her heart to a cold, philandering carnival ringmaster, but the real highlights here – were the detailed, Clockwork Butterfly designed Victorian costumes, the unbelievable balancing acts performed by dead-eyed hoodlums and lacey-panted ladies resurrected from a bygone era. The original score soundtrack was reminiscent of the sounds of Smashing Pumpkins as each act was broken up with songs performed by a mysterious guitar player in the wings and the two star crossed lovers in turn. If you are looking for a happy ending, you may not find it in this dark carnival of doomed deities, but if you like a ripping guitar riff, …

Review: Confessions of an Aerobics Instructor

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We were invited along to witness the fitness in a cardio comedy cabaret, which aims to expose group fitness class instructors (which lets face it, we generally put up on pedestals) as …. dare we say it, ‘real people’ with ‘real flaws and weaknesses’ – through a series of confessions made by the star of the show, Joy (aka Joana Simmons). If you are a couch potato of the worst kind, Joy is the aerobics instructor of your nightmares. Joana has incredibly high energy, she’s bright, sparkly and intense to the point that, at first, you are unable to look directly at her as the show kicks off. It’s not until a few minutes into the piece that you settle back into your chair and relax. Just quietly, she’s an excellent motivator…. The beautiful part about this show is that Joana legitimately is an aerobics instructor, having started teaching classes when she was 17. This combined with her comedy background made for a pretty interesting combination cabaret, in a mix and genre we’d never seen before, sometimes dirty, …

Fringe Review: ApocOlympics

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Set in a post-apocalyptic world, where basic human needs like clean water, non-radioactive cruise ship holidays and steel may or may not still be available, and the simple act of going to work to build a sporting stadium comes with the risk of being carried off by mutant crows, ApocOlympics is smart humour for witty, intelligent people, brought to you by the fabulous comedy partnership of Dan Pavavitch and Justin Porter. The concept of an Olympics that far into the future having been re-adapted for the conditions of the modern environment, and the mutations of man is made even more absurd as the actual events over time have themselves evolved to the point of non-recognition and even fight-to-the-death level, making for some dark, but fantastic jokes. This show is a groovy, multi-layered-style sketch which coils tighter and tighter around a core central storyline, eventually funnelling out into that point where everything becomes linked for a clear, clean close off where things basically pick up where they began – for the most part. Dan and Justin …

Punchbowl Canteen

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Burrowed in the industrial streets of Port Melbourne, is the vibrant and colourful Punchbowl Canteen. Opened in what was the old Salfords Lords Club, the cafe has transformed the old warehouse space into a striking space full of pops of colour. Covering the back wall of the cafe is a giant 10 foot mural by acclaimed Australian illustrator and designer, Leah Bartholomew bringing an overall warmth to the open area. The food is all about rustic, wholesome flavours, with a focus on keeping it simple but doing it well. Head Chef, Elizabeth Milroy’s twist on traditional dishes adds to the unique vibe of the whole cafe. Previously working at St Ali and Fitzrovia, upon dining on the food her unique touches are evident through dishes such as the Korean Fried Chicken Burger with Kim chi slaw and fries, Pumpkin Doughnuts cinnamon sugar with whipped yoghurt and freeze dried mandarin, and the Fish Cake Scotch Egg radish, pear, chard and shaved beetroot salad, curry mayo. The coffee comes from Fitzroy roasters, Industry Beans and on the menu are the …

Fringe Review: It’s my funeral & I’ll throw glitter if I want to

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As an independent woman, taking charge of one of the most significant, and well let’s face it, last, major events of one’s life is a pretty huge, albeit important task. So, ‘after a (tiny) mental breakdown, Isobel Marmion decided to throw her own funeral (fancy dress and lots of glitter) rather than wait for her untimely and obviously impending death from one of the many illnesses she’s currently suffering from…’ which she goes on to list at the start of her aptly-named show. Pre-show we are warned to brace ourselves for what is described as an ‘intimate look at mental illness and the fear of dying alone, but in an uplifting, funny way’ – this was delivered loosely wrapped around what comes across as an intimate 50 minute long confessional. From this description, and as the show unfolded in front of us, it became clear that it was less about the funeral, and more so about Isobel’s very real struggle with mental illness – balancing bipolar disorder in a society which demands high function, something …

Fringe Review: CULL

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This show is self-described as a ‘trashy, David Lynchian, wet nightmare sketch show about deleting your Facebook friends and the absurdity of social media’ and yep, that just about fits the bill perfectly. Cull is dark, dark humour. The kind that comes fresh from a deep well of millennial cynicism, finally jaded enough to burst the social media bubble of perfection. Duo Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnam Silva have a pretty cool groove going on, even if at times it’s a little rough around the edges, it’s funny. We laughed the whole time. This show in short, is dark, but fun. Honor and Patrick have almost too much intensity between them, but it’s necessary to lift the audience out of the dark content, back into their very fabulous balance with high-energy cray. The best part of Cull is the enjoyment taken from poking delicious fun at the ‘Cute Cats of Instagram’, the ‘Fitspo’ tools who do anything but inspire the average punter, ‘awareness challenges’ and a physically awkward look at the people who are socially …