The Berliner sibling duo are back doing what they do best: performing a kick-arse musical set and this latest outing presents some of their best hits. Otto & Astrid have developed a cult following – here and overseas – for their naughty but nice songs and, for those who have never seen them on stage before, here’s your chance to see what all the noise is about.
The set is decked out like a concert: swirls of smoke, subwoofers on either side, vertical stream of lights in the background. Astrid greets us on an elevated stage, resplendent like the rock queen she is, with all the paraphernalia of her drum set. Her brother, Otto, is wielding his guitar on the right looking defiant and yet a bit lost at the same time. (On the night this reviewer attended, he later had to make do with a new dinky Casio keyboard because his other instrument had died.)
Both are dressed in shades of black and red and the effect is of stylised clowns: overdone garish make-up, velvet, fur, suspenders and pinstripe – soft furnishings to balance out the hard rock.
The one-hour set reprises some of their most successful and catchy songs, including ‘Tasty Snacks’ and my personal favourite, ‘I Wanna Be Your Kitten’. The lyrics seem innocent enough, but are innuendo-laced. As well as their own numbers, sung with passion and panache, they also do tributes to synth-dominant Depeche Mode and growly Iggy Pop.
In between the songs, Otto and Astrid bicker as siblings are wont to do, and banter winsomely with the audience – singing along is encouraged. They fully incorporate their characters: a pair of orphans (the demise of their parents is up for speculation … eaten by a lion or a PT accident?) who have to make their own way in the world by the strength of talent and grit. Luckily, they have both.
Astrid is the bossy one, with Otto deferring to her but she’s also kind and protective, particularly when Otto ends up sad and in tears – don’t worry he’s got a Melbourne psychologist – after surreptitiously performing from an unauthorised songlist when his sister ventures offstage.
Read: Musical review: Come From Away, National Theatre
Whether it’s singing about having a second-best friend or being a dinosaur who reluctantly works in a burger store (not the best job since he’s a vegetarian), Otto and Astrid have a blast and we do too, right along with them. These rock ‘n’ roll muso comics are indeed a tasty snack; go and grab a bite before the short season finishes.
Otto & Astrid: The Stages Tour
Trades Hall
Performers: Otto & Astrid Rot – Die Roten Punkte
Producers: Salvador Dinosaur & Parrot Ox
Tickets: $10-$35
Otto & Astrid: The Stages Tour will be performing until 20 October as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
