Over three Friday nights of the Sydney Fringe Festival, Alexander Vanderboom is a showcase of the festival’s best burlesque, comedy and more in the intimate venue of The Newsagency in Marrickville. Featuring Jim Fishwick and Declan Maher as hosts, the show offers an eclectic range of acts, ensuring the audience should find at least one to suit their tastes.
The opening night saw seven acts take to the stage, providing a mixture of comedy, burlesque, magic, cabaret, body poetry and general tomfoolery. Some performers are well known on the Sydney scene, others may be more suited to the Fringe format. Among these was Tom Walker, whose excruciating silent clowning was made more entertaining by audience participation (as Walker attempted, slowly, to get as close as possible to kissing strangers), as well as the shrieking laughter of several girls. Body Poet Sabrina D’Angelo, complete with a man’s suit and moustache, was amusing as she half-sang, half-stripped to the tune of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’, yet her website gives a better example of the full range of her work than what was seen here.
There were several highlights. A member of the upcoming Edgar’s Girls treated the audience to a classy burlesque routine, much of which was en-pointe in ballet shoes, wearing a costume inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. Alice Fraser’s sparklingly honest brand of comedy was a hit, as were Bryce Halliday’s self-penned tunes from his previous Cabaret show. The venue itself is perfect for the occasion; attracting a friendly, mixed crowd, many of whom took advantage of the opportunity to bring their own drinks for a relaxed start to the weekend. For a chance to get up close to the performers, there aren’t many places in Sydney where a trip to the bathroom involves walking backstage into Alison Avron’s apartment, where the performers can be found in various stages of ‘character’. Fishwick and Maher had great comedic timing, playing out a number of sketches which hit the right tone for the occasion.Future dates of Alexander Vanderboom are due to include Carlo Ritchie, Annaliese Szota, Cruello De Vil and Sarah Gaul, among others. The chance to see shows which are more niche is one of the beautiful things about Fringe festivals. Those who want to see a random selection of the Fringe Festival acts before deciding what to see should grab a sprinkling of Alexander Vanderboom.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Alexander Vanderboom
Various Acts
The Newsagency, MarrickvilleSydney Fringe Festival
www.sydneyfringe.com
12-26 September
