fringe festival

Colin Ebsworth – Me, My Cult & I: Bold Storytelling

Colin Ebsworth - Me My Cult & I

Colin Ebsworth – Me, My Cult & I Rating

★★★★★

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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.

 

Colin Ebsworth - Me My Cult & I
Colin Ebsworth - Me My Cult & I
Colin Ebsworth - Me My Cult & I

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.

For tickets, book @ https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/colin-ebsworth-me-my-cult-i/

Dates 09 – 13 Oct – Time 7:00pm, 6:00pm (60 minutes)

For further information about Colin Ebsworth, please follow: https://linktr.ee/colinebsworth

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Beowulf: Reforged – A Mastery of Spoken Fantasy

Beowulf: Reforged

Beowulf: Reforged Rating

★★★★★

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Have you ever yearned for a trip back in time to old fireside chats with the town bard? Perhaps with some mulled wine in hand and the outside world left for a bit? Then this is the show for you! Lit by fire, flame and some cleverly placed lights, Dr Felix Nobis enters the stage in the Waterside Forge and (surely through some type of magic) starts entrancing us into this fascinating tale of beasts, heroes and fantasy.

Not only was the tale a grand adventure of peaks and valleys to listen to, but Nobis presents this tale in a way that makes me want to listen and to witness this mastery of spoken word was breathtaking. This show was simplicity personified with minimal props, wardrobe, music and lighting, but the impact was maximised by Nobis’ narrator skills. He was able to take an old tale, breathe fresh life into it and present in a way that left the whole audience captured and hanging on to every breath and word from this fireside troubadour.

This story was further brought to life by an incredible harpist playing on the stage who seemed to spin golden spiels of tune from her strings. The immersion and old style melodies allowed me to go back in time to meat, stew and late nights in a tavern with your friends. Tonight, this was not just a show, but a place for the community all here to share in a magnificent tale.

The atmosphere of the show was one of comfort, with plush red chairs and old wooden benches. It almost felt a little bit ramshackle and mismatched, but in the best way possible. And to have the show set in a working forge, surrounded by old stone and fire? I really want to commend Georgie Wolfe and Ryan Hamilton on the design and production of this show and understanding that it didn’t need to be grand, in fact being more simplistic allowed Nobis to shine in his chronicles.

Beowulf: Reforged
Beowulf: Reforged

 

The audience reactions very much mirrored that of my own, with all of us gasping and laughing as Nobis’ weaved his story. This accompanied by the relaxed costume and blacksmiths props helped to immerse us all in a world long gone. And it felt relaxing to escape back there, even if it was just for 60 minutes.

This show delicately expressed what it was to be theatrical and dramatic in a fantastical sense, and, as a lover of fantasy and poetry myself, this is something I would love to see more of in our theatre community today.

Beowulf Reforged is part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival and only has four sessions left. For tickets, book now @ https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/beowulf-reforged/

Remaining Sessions:-
• Wednesday, 9 October, 7:30PM
• Thursday, 10 October, 7:30PM
• Friday, 11 October, 7:30PM
• Saturday, 12 October, 7:30PM

For further information about Beowulf Reforged, please follow: https://linktr.ee/beowulf.reforged

Photographer: Jaimi Houston

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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KINDER Surprises: Where Drag Show Meets Storytime

KINDER

KINDER Rating

★★★★★

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1

‘The library is open. So sit down, be quiet, and listen up.’

Just around the corner from Melbourne’s Fringe hotspot, Trades Hall, producer and actor Ryan Stewart presents their debut show ‘KINDER’ – and between you and me, I’m all in for Goody Prostate’s message.

When an unexpected phone call turns drag clown Goody Prostate’s evening upside down, they’re left with just a single night to whip up the perfect act for a local library. Amid frantic costume changes and a rising tide of existential dread, Goody faces more than just pressure to perform – they juggle protests and politics, history and herstory, fruit loops and family. What begins as a whirlwind of colour, music, and fashion soon unravels to reveal a long-overdue reconnection with their inner child.

‘KINDER’ serves up a provocative response to the rise in reactionary politics surrounding children’s exposure to queerness. It’s a bold, high-wire act of queer history and social commentary, wrapped up in what can only be described as a drag-show-turned-revelation. The show explores themes of conformity, the complexities of the queer experience, and the importance of community care as Goody grapples with a deep sense of responsibility to nurture that in the next generation.

Ryan Stewart is a force to be reckoned with as the kooky, lovable, delightfully unhinged Goody Prostate. From slapstick one-liners to disarming bursts of vulnerability, Stewart navigates each of Goody’s highs and lows with a well-timed flick of their fan. Watching Goody’s mask slip, transforming from performer to person, is as poignant as it is wonderfully human. The intimacy of the space only intensifies the feeling – when Goody locks eyes with you from the centre of the room, you’re no longer part of the audience; you’re part of the story.

And Goody’s story resonated throughout the room that night. There was laughter, there were tears – it was a shared journey, with Goody reflecting emotions we all knew well: joy, pain, estrangement, liberation. This is what really struck me most about ‘KINDER’, this sense of community. There was no better place to be than right there in that chaotic, messy apartment, where both performer and audience shared complete understanding. This is the true power of theatre: to strip away the pretence and lay bare the raw, glittering heart of the human condition.

That’s not to say it wasn’t oodles of fun, too! Armed with a bubble gun and bedazzled lederhosen, Goody Prostate is unstoppable. Stewart strikes a perfect balance between introspection and laugh-out-loud hilarity – clowning around, bursting into song, and tearing through costumes like a kid let loose in a dress-up shop. It was a bedroom-floor fashion riot, and I loved every second of it.

Parenthood, childhood, the inner child – ‘KINDER’ explores it all. It’s about being a child, knowing a child, and nourishing the child you once were (or never got to be). It’s a celebration of never fully growing up while trying to be the grown-up you always needed. ‘KINDER’ isn’t just a performance; it’s a love letter to the self.

And what a way to kick off this year’s Melbourne Fringe! You can catch ‘KINDER’ at Trades Hall until October 6th, and if you can’t make it this weekend, no worries – Goody will be taking the stage next weekend at Upstairs @ Floridia in Flemington.

Check out ‘KINDER’ here: melbournefringe.com.au/event/kinder

Remaining Sessions:-
Sunday, 06 October 2024 – 8:00pm – Festival Hub: Trades Hall – The Square
Sunday, 13 October 2024 – 6:45pm – Upstairs @ Floridia
Sunday, 20 October 2024 – 6:45pm – Upstairs @ Floridia

For more information about the artist, please follow https://linktr.ee/arypresentation

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Karate Man – A Brilliantly Clever Interactive Live Action Comedy

Karate Man

Karate Man Rating

★★★★★

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6

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.

 

Karate Man
Karate Man

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.

 

Karate Man
Karate Man

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.

Show run: 17-21 September 2024
Tickets: $30 – $38
www.sydneyfringe.com/events/karate-man-a-live-action-video-game

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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