As I walk down the laneway of Meyer Place, I arrive at a mysterious dark door, which unbeknownst to me, leads up two flights of stairs to the Improv Conspiracy Theatre, a destination for lovers and students of improvisational comedy in Melbourne.
I enter a dark, intimate theatre where smoke machines cast the room in an eerie-like glow, and where shiny red lights set the stage in a lurid setting, much like a Vintage B movie, about to take centerstage.
For what I am about to witness is anything but ordinary. It is a sketch theatre comedy called ‘Nosebleeds’, created by an extraordinarily funny team of veteran improvisers and comedians: Holly Bohmer, Mario Hannah, and Taylor Griffithsz This trio dare to take the bizarre vintage horror trope and milk it for all its worth. Who dare to peek behind the historic fright-night cliché, find its twisted elements, and transform them into fresh, inventive comedy gold. For this Melbourne Fringe favourite spoofs the historic elements of Vintage B horror – taking us onboard a hilarious 60-minute spook-fest with out-of-the-box characters, pulpy villains, arrogant witchy crones, and gruesome larger-than-life playacting.
The end result? A masterful, hilarious, thrill-ride of campy-like proportions. Vignettes-like scenes, among many to mention, that break-the-mould with tremendous portrayals of bizarre characters.
A seance-turned-screaming match between a bereaving British couple, who are clearly on twisted wavelengths.
A pious, puritanical pair, about to skinny dip in a lake but warned against its algae-like dangers by an old hunchback witch, played brilliantly by Taylor Griffiths, who also happens to delight them with the warnings of pre-marital sex, with an outrageous erotic performance finished with a throw-away line, ‘you must try before you buy’.
A delusional naval officer, hilariously played by Mario Hannah, who, after six years, comes back home and announces to his wife and child that he is engaged to a mermaid, who is simply a medium-sized fish, of which he is grossly enamoured with.
A gothic heroine in the form of a newly-arrived governess who outwits her murderous boss.
And last but not least, having us in stitches was the show’s interactive exorcist scene – with the enormously delightful show-stopping Holly Bohmer, flawlessly playing a Linda Blair role to the audience’s delight – complete with convulsive mouth movements with an ovulation egg, spasmodic sounds, and offerings of a feline-nature to a male audience member as a token of love.
In all, this show was the best I have seen at the Melbourne Fringe so far this year, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves great comedy with a warped, twisted sense of humour.
Kudos to the trio of Holly Bohmer, Taylor Griffiths and Mario Hannah; and director Matt Jenner for taking late-night improv comedy to new heights in Melbourne. For taking a simple-yet-effective approach to ‘vignette-style’ theatre-making with a static stage design, few costume changes (save for some well-intentioned props), and fantastic sound and lighting effects by Simon McCulloch.
Well-recommended for a night of great belly laughter, and out-of-the-park shenanigans!
To book tickets to Nosebleeds, please visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/nosebleeds.
Photographer: Simon McCulloch & Mario Hannah