Adelaide Fringe Festival 2017: Best — and worst — of this year’s Fringe
THE Fringe Festival is nearly over for another year. But what were the highlights — and lowlights — of the 2017 festival? Our reviewers reveal all.
THE Adelaide Fringe Festival is nearly over for another year.
But what were the highlights — and lowlights — of the 2017 festival?
Here, our reviewers reveal all.
BEST
WHAT was the cream of the crop at this year’s Fringe? Our reviewers gave more than 25 shows five-star reviews.
The music category received the most five-star reviews, while there were also six top marks handed out in the comedy and circus sections.
Here’s a full list of the shows that topped the charts this year. Click on the links to read the full reviews.
COMEDY
Merrick Watts — Man of the Hour
THEATRE
Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany
Faulty Towers the Dining Experience
CIRCUS
MUSIC
Jo Lawry Live at the Spiegeltent
The Magnets — Can You Feel It?
WORST
UNFORTUNATELY, not every show can hit the mark.
This year, there were eight shows that received less than two stars.
These are the shows that were rated as duds by our reviewers.
HALF A STAR (1/2)
Damien & Ross in Safari Psychosis — 1/2
“This is not art. This is crap.” That was reviewer Tom Bowden’s frank assessment of this comedy show, which received just ½ a star from him.
ONE STAR (*)
The Bedroom Philosopher — Cat Show — *
“It’s just not funny.” That’s the conclusion from reviewer Josephine Lim for this comedy show. “This show is a man pretending to be a cat playing songs about cats and not the Broadway kind.”
“Well acted, but this is dark, depressing stuff with no discernible lesson to be learned,” reviewer Richard Evans writes. In the end, he asks of the theatre show, “what’s the point?”.
Reviewer Richard Evans said this theatre show was “surreal and crass” and not something you would want to take your children to — “nor indeed anyone you felt any affection for”.
ONE AND A HALF STARS (* 1/2)
Bucks (or A Bag of D*icks) — * 1/2
“Things go downhill fast” in this theatre show about marriage, buck’s nights and strippers, writes reviewer Louise Nunn. “It aims to offend, and succeeds brilliantly,” she concludes.
Reviewer Richard Evans says this comedy show “drags, dreadfully so, barely a titter all evening despite the gushing and faux subject matter”.
Reviewer Tara Nash said that this series of comedic sketches “resembles performances by my high school drama class”. “I could see their intention with many of the jokes, but some were drawn out and others were skipped over so quickly that I missed the point,” she wrote.
Nomad — Sounds of the Planet — * 1/2
Admittedly, reviewer Adam Langeberg saw this dance show on its first night. “Even the sound technicians get first night jitters,” he writes. “The rusty rehearsal feel must be banished to get more than friends and family through the door.”