Do you need an emotional rollercoaster of a show that will make you laugh and cry and then, upon further thought, inevitably question all of your actions as possibly neurodivergent?
Yeah, neither did I, and yet I find myself wanting to go back for more!
Upon entering the theatre (and having no previous knowledge of Colin Ebsworth, my assumptions were a comedy show with probable laughs and maybe some relatable content. Little did I know that I would be crying both from laughter and sadness by the end.
Ebsworth is (in short) an insanely talented comedian and wordsmith who managed to convey so many different emotions of relatability, anguish, confusion, satire, wittiness and much more as we are walked through his experience as a neurodivergent child. As someone who has Autism (of which there is a lot of cross-over with ADHD), I found it refreshing to find someone who had some of the same issues as me growing up and was able to articulate it accurately.
All whilst sitting on a stool on a stage in a spotlight with a remote and a few lagers.
I also genuinely enjoyed the creative use of both vocal effects and music to enhance the story. And so did the audience! I took my best friend (who is ADHD incarnate) with me and her reactions were vivid and similar to mine. As were the rest of the attendees. We all gasped together, laughed together and felt deeply together. It is no mean feat to be able to create an atmosphere where everyone is invested both individually and as a collective audience.
This show is so important not just for those that are neurodivergent, but also for those that have neurodivergent individuals in their life. It’s content of this show will only continue to become more and more valuable as time goes on.
So, even though this show for Melbourne Fringe is sold out, I would unquestionably recommend that you keep an eye out for Colin Ebsworth and any of his future shows. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next and will be attending prepared to feel the full range of emotions next time!
Colin Ebsworth’s show at the Melbourne Fringe Festival was held at the Trades Hall, the festival’s bustling hub. The show, titled Colin Ebsworth – Me, My Cult & I, takes the audience on an intense, multi-layered journey through Ebsworth’s life, family, and the cult that brought them together.
Ebsworth was raised in a South Korean-led religious movement, the Unification Church, commonly called the Moonies. In the 1980s, Reverand Moonie, a man who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, married Ebsworth’s parents at a mass wedding in Madison Square Garden. From this extraordinary beginning, Colin unfolds a complex and deeply personal story.
With a mix of rapid-fire storytelling, music, and a PowerPoint presentation, Ebsworth passionately recounts growing up in a cult and grappling with undiagnosed ADHD. There’s a lot to unpack here, and while the show was sometimes overwhelming with its myriad storylines, it was also packed with poignant moments and humour.
Ebsworth’s narrative darts between his parents’ arranged marriage, their move from the US to Australia, and the emotional isolation they experienced due to the cult’s restrictive nature. The disconnection from his father’s family in Perth because they weren’t part of the church added layers of complexity to the story.
The show isn’t just about the cult, though. It’s about belief systems, family dynamics, and the ongoing search for identity and hope.
Ebsworth’s delivery is fast-paced and almost breathless, and as an audience member, you need to be fully attentive or risk missing important details. It’s a challenging ride that feels meaningful, as different sections of the story will resonate with different people. The overarching theme does emerge: while we can’t undo the past, we can still move forward.
There’s no doubt that Colin is a gifted storyteller. Still, his choice to cover so many intricate layers made it hard to resolve everything cleanly. That said, his passion and energy kept the audience engaged throughout. It’s the kind of show that leaves you with much to think about and will spark conversation afterwards. I’d like to see how this performance evolves in the future as Colin continues to live and tell his story.
Overall, it’s an insightful and enjoyable show full of witty observations and heartfelt reflections. It’s definitely worth checking out if you enjoy performances that make you think and challenge your perceptions.
If you have ever played a video game, you’d feel the excitement of pressing a combination of different buttons on the controller and moving your character around the screen – to fight villains, explore different rooms and make decisions. The game always has a goal, often several, with riddles and various quests to complete before the goals are met, before you finally win the game. Perhaps it has taken hours to play. Imagine this. You know what I mean. Now think about the characters jumping out of the screen and are standing right now in front of you, swaying from one foot to the other, patiently waiting for you to give them a command on your controller. Your game has come to life – and you get to make decisions about what happens next. This is what happens in this comedic show Karate Man.
Co-creators and directors Bruno Dubosarsky and Daniel Scarratt have produced a truely unique and hilarious interactive play…and play we did! All audience members participated and became immersed into the story, by taking turns with the controller and pushing buttons, directing Karate Man to do what they wanted in response to the story’s many challenges.
The buttons were typical gaming commands such as kick, throw, punch, jump, grab as well as move left / right/ down and up, all of which Karate Man had to do immediately on command as soon as the it was read out by the game’s narrator. The sound effects added to the authenticity of a video game, complete with repeating sounds when the characters were waiting to be directed what to do.
This video game character was portrayed perfectly by Bruno Dubosarsky and done with such robotic fluidity that it was believable, his movements imitating the basic gaming commands of the 1980’s video games. As you can imagine, the fight between Karate Man, moving in a step by step controlled fashion (eg “right, right, jump, right, kick. Left, left, down, punch”) and his arch enemy Ross Roundkick, played with cheeky wickedness by Daniel Scarratt in the year 198X was hilarious and one of the highlights of the show for me. I was laughing so much as poor Karate Man was directed to move in ridiculous excess due to the audience still getting used to using the controls at the beginning of the show – it would have been exhausting for Bruno. At one stage, Karate Man was directed by the controller “left, left, left, left, left” right off the stage – the audience was crippled with laughter! I had never been to a Choose Your Own Adventure show like this before, and I loved it.
The story of Karate Man takes us into the lives of Karate Man and his wife Kara. Her name being half of his name seemed to be on purpose, and added to the cheesy charm of the show. Kara was played by Stephanie Ryan and her mannerisms of a video game character were spot on. Karate Man had to complete some challenges in this game and the audience was given three choices which led to different scenes and more goals to achieve. As the audience were making the decisions about where Karate Man was going to go next in our rendition of the play, I could see how the show would completely change on different nights. It would be interesting to return to experience another scenario and set of goals.
The supporting cast, Tim Dunk as the Time Fish, Juliet Rae Timmerman as Alex Coober and Maddie Atkins lent keen exaggeration into their video game characters and were very entertaining. All of the actors at different times were so funny, and I believe that some lines may have been impromptu.
The script was clever and contained some references to pop culture embedded. Prop designer Stephanie Ryan kept the stage simple. A few painted large posters were used, as well as a few other props, and was all this show needed as it was more reliant on the physical comedy and the script.
Shown as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2024, Karate Man was spectacularly funny and one of the most original interactive shows to hit the stage! Instead of playing video games at home, head out to the PACT Centre for Emerging Artists in Erskineville to have your own personalised adventure with Karate Man.
The CRAM Collective’s latest production of FAG/STAG is a winner! (CRAM stands for Create, Revise, Augment and Merge). They are a comparatively young company in every sense of the word and definitely a company to watch. Focussing on film and live theatre, they are developing a dedicated following, as indicated by the full house I attended and other full houses during the season.
FAG/STAG – “This rare breed of heterosexual human male enjoys the company of homosexual human males in preference to or en liu of, perhaps selectively, other heterosexual males.” – Urban Dictionary
This production explores what it means to have a best mate when you’re stuck being your worst self.
It features Corgan and Jimmy who are BFFs. Their lives are filled by Tinder, Grindr, white lies, big nights and too many pints. Lawn bowls, Donkey Kong, wiping vomit into the shower drain. Unanswered texts, bad sex, moving back in with Mum and Dad. In the month preceding the wedding of Corgan’s ex-girlfriend the two struggle to get their life in gear enough to even hire a suit.
The Howling Owl is a unique venue, right in the middle of the CBD and the home of Adelaide’s Premiere Gin Den as a bonus, this boutique theatre is the perfect setting for an up close and personal glimpse into the lives of two very different young men at an age when youth is beginning to diminish, and the realisation of adulthood is creeping in.
Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Chris Isaacs have crafted an extremely incisive script which is sure to resonate with young adults and those of us who can remember when we were that age.
Connor Reidy’s direction gives us an intimate look at the lives of two men whose bond is their friendship. Together with his cast and creatives he has focussed on their inner thoughts (voiced to the audience). Using 3 stools, a couple of bottles of beer and two Nintendo handsets, his direction takes us to the highs and lows of friendship especially when complicated by sexual orientation. The play also deals with the confronting topics of self-harm and drug use.
Reidy’s direction is supported by Antoine Jelk’s creative sound design linking the scenes, and Aaron Herczeg’s atmospheric lighting which perfectly sets the mood.
Henry Cooper and Connor Pullinger inhabit their characters of Corgan and Jimmy. They are totally believable and relatable to the audience. United by their love of Donkey Kong and friendship, they pour out their souls to us, the audience. They show us the good, bad, and ugly sides of friendship while drawing us into their lives.
I particularly enjoyed Jimmy’s love/hate relationship with his ‘ex’ and the melon air freshener in his car that serves as a reminder of their time together. I also enjoyed Corgan’s addiction to Tinder and his ‘swipe right’ girls, and the acceptance of his friend’s sexuality.
Both the actors give highly polished, emotional performances that begin as stand up but quickly dive deep into inner thoughts and feelings taking us on a wild ride!
FAG/STAG is sixty minutes packed with laughs, sighs and maybe some tears, that will leave you questioning relationship with your BFFs and your role in making these friendships meaningful and lasting! Bravo CRAM Collective!
