Adam, Ellen, Eve and Steve are all on the hunt for true love. They’ve tried most avenues to find their perfect match, but there have been many pitfalls along the way. Nervousness, overconfidence, sending mixed or totally wrong messages, and finding it hard to be honest about themselves all get in the way. Covering the worlds of clubbing, online dating, random encounters in bars and at bus stops, nudist beaches and speed dating, this Fringe World show features numerous vignettes about the quest to find a partner, eventually forming a quirky story with a sweetly happy ending.
Andy Ryan, with his long, lanky frame, seemed typecast as the goofy nerd-boy, in his supporting roles as well as his main character of Adam. His turn as a Cockney wideboy in Eve’s reminiscences, displaying a swaggering confidence that contrasted with the awkward embarrassment of his other parts, was a refreshing change. Ellen (Laura Djanegara) and Eve (Natalie Di Risio) were gradually revealed to be more than just simply drawn polar opposites, with sultry, sex-seeking Ellen and prim and proper Eve revealing more similarities than differences in a well-paced development. Battling conflict between his internal and projected self-image, Steve (Kit Sparrow) was a sympathetic portrayal of a lost soul who just wants to be loved.
A sequence featuring an excursion to Swanbourne Nudist Beach featured a costume highlight: hilarious rough smocks with line drawings, strategically located balloons and tufts of fur. On the performance front, an ensemble interpretive dance of female reproductive organs was memorable, while slightly uncomfortable laughs during the parade of dates from hell suggested that the memories might have been close to the bone for some in the room.
The acting, with its awkward, stilted conversations and devastating internal monologues, was highlighted by the sparse, even stark stage setting of cloth screen and chairs. The lighting design was basic, but useful to create discrete areas within the small space. The sound design was well planned but especially impressive, with the pre-recorded internal monologues played and timed smoothly with on-stage developments.
Characters were simply drawn, even trite, but clichés are drawn from common experience, and Hello Boys! holds a mirror to universal memories and longings. A sweet performance of an engaging premise provides light but satisfying Fringe World fare.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Hello Boys! – confessions of a date-a-holic
Director: Ian Toyne
Writers: Maddy Bell & Natalie Di Risio
Dramaturg: Sarah McKellar
Lighting Technician: Ben Davis
Composer: Nik Douglas
Performers: Natalie Di Risio, Laura Djanegara, Andy Ryan and Kit Sparrow
The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre
4 – 8 February
Fringe World 2013
www.fringeworld.com.au
25 January – 24 February
