Throughout the 2023 Adelaide Fringe, Steve Davis will be sharing tips about shows to investigate, especially South Australian grassroots shows, to help punters try something a little different.
Shameless plug. Steve’s show is almost sold out. One night has tickets available now, next Saturday, March 4, so please support The Adelaide Show’s work indirectly by booking in to get your MBA Certificate and possibly win a $1000 travel voucher: 100% MBA Success: Whisky And Trivia With Professor Longsword, in Port Adelaide at the great whisky bar, Studio 99.
The segment today, happened at 12:50pm with Richard Pascoe. Steve’s notes are below, covering these shows:
- Not Here to F**k Spiders
- The Cool Mum
- Dr Kim Le’s War On Wellbeing
- Turning The Page
- TattleTales – Immersive Tarot Storytelling
Also, Steve Davis and Ekkia Evans had a quick catch up to discuss shows they’d reviewed this week. All reviews available on The Adelaide Show Podcast theatre and fringe reviews page.
Comedy Picks – Adelaide Fringe Form Guide
Not Here to F**k Spiders
I love Marc Ryan.
He is a warts-and-all comedian who has a gritty, very human approach to his story telling.
He’s also upfront about dealing with mental health but there’s nothing in his approach that comes across as a thinly disguided government message.
In Not Here To F**k Spiders, he shares his lived experience with PTSD and suicide ideation, all stemming from childhood trauma. Plus he throws into the mix the stories of what it’s like co-parenting three teenagers sons and while having no clue what he is actually doing himself!
Marc Ryan has a huge heart and more often than not his puchlines lead to huge belly laughs.
This won’t be polite comedy – it will be as earthy as it gets.
Marc is travelling all around SA but starts a run at the Laugh Lounge in Rundle Mall from Wednesday.
The Cool Mum
This next show sounds hilarious. The Cool Mum is a satire of motovational speeches in which Jo Ghastly gives us her tips on how to be better parents, including how to interpret teenage grunts!
As you know, there are rumours that I have a comedy character, Professor Sebastian Longsword, but I can confirm that Jo Ghastly is in fact a character played by a New Zealand psychiatrist, improviser, and actor.
I have interacted with Jo Ghastly online and she is good fun.
I think this will be an excellent show to see because she has the right mix of backgrounds to tear apart the silliness and stuffiness of motovational speakers.
Plus her show has won plenty of awards and if you want a taste you can take a peep on TikTok.
Her season starts Tuesday at the Howling Owl until next Saturday.
Dr Kim Le’s War On Wellbeing
Dr Kim Le is a funny man. He is a practicing psychiatrist and that gives his comedy an extra edge of observation.
You might have seen him on the SBS On Demand documentary, Are You Addicted To Technology? A lot of his professional work has focussed on this.
I’ve seen Kim perform many times over the years and I’m confident this show will be good because the core idea is that Unhappiness is the real meaning to life.
That sounds rather strange but he’s onto something because everything in this world seems focussed on chasing the illusion of happiness, so this might just be some comedy with a wake up call.
He’s on Saturdays at the Verandah Private at the Strathmore Hotel on North Terrace.
Music Picks – Adelaide Fringe Form Guide
Turning The Page
I’m going to see this show on Tuesday and I have chosen it because Emma Knights is one of those solid Fringe performers and producers. She writes songs, sings them, accompanies other singers, and producers shows.
This one caught my attention because I do have a good book and it’s Emma’s love of words that inspired her to creat this collection of songs from words already written by others.
Some songs include just one line from the book, others are made entirely from the author’s words mixed up to create a new story in song. The songs explore topics of climate change, social justice, mental health and how maybe if we turn the page we might just be able to start a new chapter.
It will be an intimate show – just Emma and her piano, and it will be something different if you like music shows.
She’s at Hey George in Goodwood this Tuesday and in the Orchard Bookshop in Adelaide Arcade next Sunday.
WILDCARD – Adelaide Fringe Form Guide
TattleTales – Immersive Tarot Storytelling
This is truly unlike anything you’ll probably ever see.
This is the first time PonyDog Productions has put on a show in the Adelaide Fringe.
It’s for small audiences of up to 20. They will venture into an enchanting den of stories, secrets and sorcery.
Once inside, you’ll meet the Storyteller who will guide you through a 60 minute interactive adventure. No two performances, and no two stories, will be the same.
It’s been described as part campfire storytelling, and part choose-your-own-adventure, because participants draw Tarot cards that influence their tale in unforeseen ways. But, on top of that, they can also wield these cards and make decisions to determine how the story unfolds.
It’s won lots of prizes for best immersive and interactive show, so it sounds like a good wildcard to have on your list.
It’s on at The Tarot Tavern at ARTHUR ARTBAR @ West Village right through this week until next weekend.