It’s been about a year since I saw a show at the Actors’ Hub, but as I walked in, it all came back to me. The cosy, dimly lit foyer. The live acoustic entertainment before the show.
For An Evening With…, part of the Actors’ Hub’s 4x4x4 program for Fringe World, the evening actually began with a short quiz, comprising questions taken from the Australian citizenship test. My table fluked our way to a 7 out of 9 score.
As for the play itself, An Evening With… was presented as a “televised” talk show-cum-game show, hosted by a fictionalised version of Perth-raised comedian Joel Creasey. We were introduced to recreations of Aussie icons Dame Edna Everage and Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, who were each interviewed before competing to determine who is the most Australian.
To cap off the Australia Day long weekend my partner and I headed down to the UWA Somerville theatre to watch Everybody Knows, a slow-burning mystery thriller from director Asghar Farhadi.
Pro tip: gates open at 6pm, and don't come much later than that if you want to get a deckchair to sit on. The Perth Festival Films are more popular than ever, so if you turn up after 6.30pm like we did, you'll probably end up sitting on the grass to watch the film – which still makes for a relaxed viewing experience, especially if you manage to nab one of the beanbags available!
Anyone for some hot and spicy?
Not of the KFC variety and although the weather in Perth has been hotting up, the Little Death Club show at Fringe Perth hit way higher temperatures on the thermometer yesterday evening.
It was another balmy summer’s night as my partner and I headed towards the Edith Spiegeltent at Yagan Square. As we walked along William St, the Sauma Restaurant on the corner was heaving, and punters at Chico were busily queuing up for their gelato fix.
Inside the festive Spiegeltent, after a somewhat unexpected intermission due to an audience member’s intoxication getting the better of her, the show gathered momentum and introduced Perth to the best of modern dark cabaret.
Heading up the show was chief hostess Bernie Dieter – quite a character who is lusciously funny with a wicked sense of humour. She commanded the stage with her excitable demeanour and sexy style, and we couldn’t help but get drawn into her adventures.
“It's not how big it is, it's what you do with it that matters” - never has that cliche been demonstrated so wickedly well as when the performers of La Soirée take to the stage.
After braving the summer rain while waiting in line at the Ice Cream Factory, we were already a little bit wet before the show even started! And in typical raunchy La Soirée fashion, it wasn't long before the audience were fully lubricated both inside and out.
The first thing that always strikes me when I first arrive at a La Soirée performance is the tiny size of the circus ring – it always seems impossible to swing a cat let alone a human being on that little red circle. But swing they do, and tumble, sway, glide, lift, throw and roll to boot.
It's Fringe time in Perth! Yay!
This year, we kicked off our fringe experience watching The Quizzical Mr Jeff at the Black Flamingo in Yagan Square – a new hub this year at Fringe World Perth for 2019.
The Quizzical Mr Jeff is a Kiwi now living in Melbourne and his show at just under an hour will wow and woo audiences of all ages – whether it be families with young kids, singles, couples or seniors.
Mr Jeff is smooth and slick, with a wicked sense of humour.
His one act circus style magic show is a real charmer and based on the excited and happy responses from the audience, we could have been entertained by Mr Jeff for the rest of the night.
On a balmy Friday evening, we headed off to Kings Park to watch Crazy Rich Asians as part of the line-up of outdoor movies at the Moonlight Cinema.
A modern fairy tale love story (a romantic comedy) where rich boy meets working girl and all is perfect until the cultured boy takes the brash New York girl to meet his family back home in Singapore. This is the storyline of Crazy Rich Asians starring Henry Golding (as Nick Young) and Constance Wu (as Rachel Chu).
What makes this mainstream movie unique is its All Asian cast (with actors from around the globe), which has prompted more movie goers to see it due to the curiosity factor. Though different in its all Asian roster, the theme of the interplay between family dynamics, social status, and self-worth as an individual is something members of all cultures can relate to.
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