Our colleagues over at InReview know their arts and culture, so when they say a show’s worth going to, we listen. We’ve rounded up their highest-rated reviews to help you plan your weekend Fringe-going.
February 24, 2022
Culture
The best of the Fringe so far
The Best of the Best
Meet Me at Dawn
Genre: Theatre
Reviewer: Murray Bramwell
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: 24—27 February
Two women are cast on to a desolate beach. As they begin to get their bearings, the world will never be the same. Nor, perhaps, will yours.
Why you should see the show:
“Wendy Bos as Robyn has a suppressed apprehension and then unfolding terror, while Sarah Bos’s Helen has a giddy sense of freedom which turns into exasperation and betrayal.”
27 Club
Genre: Music
Reviewer: Heather Taylor Johnson
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 6 March
In elegiac, epic splendour, four talented Australian singers pay homage to Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse – the five most distinguished members of the ill-fated 27 Club.
Why you should see the show:
“Superjesus’s Sarah McLeod nailed the power and pathos and every single note in Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” – and my, what sultry swagger she has.”
Oracle
Genre: Physical Theatre
Reviewer: Trista Coulter
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 20 March
Surrender your senses and lose yourself among the gods of old as you embark on a breathtaking journey into the stars with the visually stunning Adelaide Fringe premiere of Oracle.
Why you should see the show:
“Intricately crafted costumes combine the beauty of old-world style with a subtle hint of risqué sensuality to bring the gods, goddesses, humans and mythical creatures of Oracle to life in vivid detail. This – combined the music and energetic routines – makes it is easy to lose yourself within the Oracle’s immersive world.”
A History of Mississippi and Georgia Blues
Genre: Music
Reviewer: Steve Evans
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: 27 February & 6 March
Anchored by Cal Williams Jr on guitar, this journey through highlights of the Mississippi and Georgia blues, with Mary Trees on percussion and Kory Horwood on double bass, is an utter delight.
Why you should see the show:
“The session began with the trio already playing their instruments as they walked through the audience into the Tin Shed at the rear of the Wheatsheaf Hotel. Once on stage, they stretched into an infectious version of “Columbus Stockade Blues”. That featured a bass solo with a jazz feel which segued into a duet with Williams’ expert guitar picking.”
Afghanistan is Not Funny
Genre: Theatre
Reviewer: Murray Bramwell
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: 24 February—13 March
A high-profile comedian visits a war zone in Kabul and it not only transforms him, but also the things he wants to write about. This often comic memoir looks for answers to serious questions.
Why you should see the show:
“Henry Naylor is the master of the dramatic miniature. His plays, rarely more than 60 minutes in duration, are a crowded hour of fact, polemic, suspense and compressed emotion that take us where other playwrights fear to tread.”
The Very Best
1 Hour Photo
Genre: Theatre
Reviewer: Murray Bramwell
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: Until 20 March
One Hour Photo is a snapshot of one man’s life – captured from 30 hours of interview and a lifetime of turbulent after-images.
Why you should see the show:
“1 Hour Photo, written and engagingly performed by Tetsuro Shigematsu, is a mix of theatre monologue, a TED talk with a slideshow, and random pop-culture nostalgia. Darting in and out of history, Shigematsu starts with 1977. Star Wars. The launch of GPS satellites. The Apple II computer and the launch of the space probe Voyager 1.
He is energised by this progress stuff, moving excitedly between display items and screen images, eyes bright, moustache twirling and ponytail bobbing. He is a most affable narrator.”
The Defiant
Genre: Circus
Reviewer: Ali Moylan
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: 24 February—20 March
New circus show The Defiant finds joy and strength within its dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, offering a refreshing take on a well-trodden theme.
Why you should see the show:
“The Defiant has an all-femme-identifying cast and crew, and a distinguishing feature of the performance is the warm and joyful interaction between artists. Smiles, intimate connections, playfulness and a sense of community comes through the cutting intensity. It’s reminiscent and evocative of how the last few years have proven how humans come together in times of turmoil.”
Simply the Best
I Want to Touch You
Genre: Circus
Reviewer: Alison Flett
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 20 March
Imagine gasp-inducing acrobatics combined with contemporary dance combined with the warm, fuzzy feeling of a hug. There you have I Want to Touch You, the returning Fringe show from Adelaide-based circus giants Gravity & Other Myths.
Why you should see the show:
“Director Darcy Grant has successfully steered [Gravity and Other Myths] towards much larger-scale productions (see Macro, the “world premiere opening night spectacular” for this year’s Adelaide Festival), so I Want to Touch You is testament to the company’s determination to stay true to its roots and continue to produce smaller ensemble pieces for the Fringe.
I’ve Got 99 Problems and Here is an Exhaustive List of Them
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Kylie Maslen
Score: ★★★★
Dates: 22—27 February
Two-time Best Comedy Weekly Award winner and arachnophobe Ange Lavoipierre returns to Adelaide Fringe with an original work of comic storytelling that is equally silly, honest and profound.
Why you should see the show:
“The music fades and Ange Lavoipierre arrives on stage as a giant black spider stripping its legs. It’s a unique way of capturing the crowd’s attention, and it gives the Sydney comic and journalist an arresting entry point to a show promising ‘nothing weird, no gimmicks’.”
Darker Side of Bowden
Genre: Theatre
Reviewer: Jo Vabolis
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
Where better to delve into tales of poverty, conflict and resilience than Bowden, once inner-west slum, now desirable city-fringe home to a diverse and growing population.
Why you should see the show:
“Aside from the strikes, robberies, accidental deaths and suicides that were common in the neighbourhood, a strong theme of triumph over adversity emerges. Families and fortunes grow, and true change-makers emerge to make waves far beyond their humble beginnings.”
Prepping for Theatre
Genre: Cabaret
Reviewer: Jo Vabolis
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Virtual performance, available on demand
Just as comfortable with operatic arias as he is with modern power ballads, Dr Lane switches confidently between song and spoken word, his love for the music evident in the emotion he brings to this performance.
Why you should see the show:
“There is an honest rawness to what Hinchcliffe discloses. He’s candid in his sharing of his personal struggles and his early fears (ultimately unfounded) of other people’s opinions. He doesn’t gloss over the difficulty of dealing with his demons but rejoices in revealing that the future did indeed live up to his expectations and dreams.”
Arj Baker — Power Hour
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Ben Kelly
Score: ★★★★
Dates: 24 February—20 March
Arj Barker’s Adelaide Fringe return is like a 30-year greatest-hits album that has been remastered and refined with a few new tracks for an hour of hilarious musings.
Why you should see the show:
“The show is sprinkled with short quips to the front row as the comedian brings you into his world and, as great comics do, makes the audience feel as though they are along for the ride with him.”
Cab Suave
Genre: Circus
Reviewer: Michelle Wakim
Score: ★★★★
Dates: 24 February—20 March
Film noir collides with the sequined world of cabaret to present a spirited, sexy production that breathes new life into this crime-drama genre.
Why you should see the show:
“Brought to the stage by Sparkle Society, a theatre company focusing on the representation of queer artists, this is, in fact, a sparkly and playful production, but with a sensuality that allows it to marry so well with the dark and cynical world of the film noir.”
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