Young Bloods Chase D-generation Funny Bone
The Age
Tuesday April 10, 2007
THE DELUSIONISTS
Rating: 3.5/5 Kaleide RMIT Union Theatre, 360 Swanston Street, city, April 5. Until April 29. Running time: one hour APPROXIMATELY 2pm, AUGUST 31st, 1997 Rating: 2/5 Written by Nik Willmott, La Mama, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton, April 5. Until April 22. Running time: 45 minutes THE tag "undergraduate humour" is usually delivered as a backhanded slap, sought after by comedians about as much as a punch in the face. With The Delusionists, it is just stating the obvious. Five young Sydney comedians and actors, including two of last year's Raw Comedy finalists, have waded through hours of university revue material and edited it into a digestible sketches show. The result is undergraduate in all the right ways; intelligent, adventurous, unafraid to fail, echoing the younger days of the D-Generation or, in some of the pre-filmed video segments, The Chaser minus the politics. The jokes come fast and jump all over the place, twisting biblical stories, Shakespeare, relationships and A Few Good Men. Not everything hits the mark, and the charisma and obvious talent of the young comics occasionally outshines the writing, but the show hits its stride in the second half, building to a fitting climax. Some of the best moments come from a singer/keyboardist who bridges the gap between sketches with observations on modern pop. Coldplay fans beware.UP THE road in Carlton, Approximately 2pm, August 31st, 1997 is less a comedy than a two-handed, one-act play. The intriguing title refers to the time Princess Diana died, and the play looks at the impact of her death on an ageing couple stuck in a loveless marriage. Upset, the down-trodden Norman (Phil Roberts) shocks his shrill, abusive wife Marianne (Joanne Davis) with revelations about how he spends his time alone in the back shed. Roberts gives a subtle performance as a man snapped out of his everyday malaise, but the script has little affection for its characters, resorting to suburban stereotypes. There are some funny moments, but little nuance.The Age is a Melbourne International Comedy Festival sponsor.
© 2007 The Age
