Richard McKenzie: A Sting in the Tale - Fringe World 2016 (17 February 2016)

I was sitting in the front row of The Flaming Locomotive after having scurried back from another show in Maylands and to be honest I didn’t even know what I was about to watch. I’d been asked only a couple of days before if I could review some shows at the venue and this was the second one I was able to squeeze in that night. I had no idea other than a place and a time.

Then this guy popped out of a side door and proceeded to announced how he’d fluffed his big entrance as the music swelled because his microphone wasn’t switched on. That gentleman wearing a Ramones t-shirt and sporting piercings, tattoos, and facial hair reminiscent of The Mandarin from Iron Man 3 was Richard McKenzie. Here’s the thing, from that moment on I was totally relaxed and engaged with what turned out to be an excellent hour of stand-up comedy. This guy from Melbourne was a very good storyteller and bloody funny!

So then we get into the pretext for the show about how this really was a homage to his dad who passed away a few years ago and who had lived a life full of adventures. Far more interesting than Richard and his three brothers though having sat through some of his own personal tales I gotta say, it’s lineball, man!

Now, I’m not going to spoil any of these comedic gems that are told in such a thoroughly entertaining and unassuming way that I was heartily cacking myself all evening. Suffice to say that Richard’s dad seemed to have a knack for meeting some fairly interesting people in some fairly interesting circumstances while being totally oblivious to the significance of it all. As in, “Wow, really? That’s fucking awesome!”

Richard himself was no blushing violet when it came to the search for a decent chicken kebab in a place where you kind of just don’t rock up and order a snack and a Coke with no more than a smile. He also has vast experience with drinking games in dodgy clubs in Melbourne with customers of, let’s simply say, dubious character. Not to mention being the kind hearted neighbour who rescues elderly women whilst possibly suffering concussion due to an unexpected collision. The recounting of said collision had me struggling to breathe at the unexpected absurdity of it all I was laughing that hard. He also has a claim to fame after an encounter late one night leaving a pub in Melbourne that actually led to a press conference.

All of these stories were told with such flair and great comic sensibility. There was a poignant moment at the end that circles back to his father that was touching and funny. This was an excellent way to end the night and the venue was perfect as an intimate setting for McKenzie to work in. He was relaxed and into the material, responding casually to comments from the audience and having a real rapport with us. I really enjoyed this. Sort of guy you’d want to have a drink at the bar with. His dad would be proud.

Richard McKenzie – A Sting in the Tale is on at The Flaming Locomotive until 20 February. 

Love and Hate - Fringe World 2016 (17 February 2016)

The things that make a long term relationship fail, or cruel a romantic partnership in its early stages, or perhaps even stunt the development of a potential new coupling; self-doubt, fear, jealousy, insecurity, competing priorities, low self-esteem… wearing clothes that look like they’ve been picked out by your mum. All of them are human foibles, all instantly recognisable and relatable in one form or another. This is the basis for three short plays under the moniker Love and Hate performed at The Flaming Locomotive more commonly known as the theatrette at the WA Art Gallery.

All three are thematically linked but feature different scenarios and actors. There is an ingenious centrepiece by Designer Cherie Hewson that is used to represent a fridge in Text; turned ninety degrees to reveal a bookcase for Williamsburg; and another turn later is a front loaded washing machine in Let’s Launder Together!

Each two-hander is well acted and represents different stages of a relationship. In Text Benj D’addario’s working class husband is sprung by his wife (Talei Howell-Price) as he raids the fridge late one night for more booze. He urges her to go back to sleep but she stays and the conversation turns into an interrogation about her whereabouts on a recent trip to South Africa in her capacity as a sports writer. Accusations of infidelity quickly follow and the whole thing spirals into dark territory with a few twists along the way. 

The acting here was nicely calibrated, however, the dialogue was a tad theatrical for mine with plenty of use of repetition, misdirection and the subtext writ large. It flirts with testing our suspension of disbelief as the plot machinations play out but D’addario and Howell-Price keep the whole thing grounded with honest performances.

Emily Rose Brennan plays an Australian in the US who is in a relationship with Christopher Sansoni’s colourful Yank in Williamsburg. Yet both seem unsure why and clutch at reasons why things should continue including having children. Brennan is all fresh faced enthusiasm in contrast to the eccentricities Sansoni brings to his character. This middle section was a more straight forward exploration of a couple figuring out where they stood in relation to each other.

By contrast the last scene brought the laughs with Salacia Briggs and Barnaby Pollock doing a ‘cute meet’ at a laundromat with each vocalising their inner-monologues of doubts, fears, attraction, urges and hilarious self-criticism. How do you talk to the cute girl or boy who just happens to appear when you’re doing the washing? What stops you? What makes you summon the courage to say something? What makes you want to kick yourself when you fluff it? Or better yet high five yourself when you stutter into a conversation. Showcasing lovely comic timing in a squirm inducing situation everybody can sympathise with this was a very engaging way to end the show.

Love and Hate is on at The Flaming Locomotive which is a cool and comfortable venue in the heart of all things Fringe at the Cultural Centre. It is written and directed by Damon Lockwood for Lockwood Productions and is on until 20 February.