★★★★
Best of British Productions. 16 Mar 2023
Best of British is taking place upstairs in the Belgian Beer Café where superstrength Belgian beers are available. Host Dan Willis is also the promoter and producer. Now residing in Palm Beach, Dan could only present Aussie-Brits during the Covid years, but this year’s line-up, at least my night, were all ridgy-didge visitors from the failing state, and their perspectives on things Oz are funny. No Brexit jokes so maybe it’s no joke. Dan appears in his own show, The Meaning of Wife, only this Saturday night, 18 March.
Scotswoman Jo Jo Sutherland delivered witticisms with a lovely lilt and was quick on her feet hamming it up with some Scottish types in the front row. Focusing on family and ironic dysfunctionality, she easily sprayed idiotic bureaucracy and irrelevant behaviours. Sutherland was very playful with a mother of four in the front row who was immensely enjoying her empathy with Jo Jo. Besides this best of British sampler, I recommend you spend a whole hour in her presence in her own show, Growing Old Disgracefully, this Friday and Saturday, 17-18 March. Growing old disgracefully was certainly a theme of my night of Best of British.
I was disappointed Andy Askins did not compute in the Fringe website search engine as I want to see more on him. His schtick is beautifully deadpan and ironic, extending ideas to the ridiculous. Plenty of funnily disturbing self-deprecation, including claiming he didn’t play the guitar he was hiding behind, but then he did so and proved accomplished, especially in flamenco. Pretending to be a meek man, he knows how to out-stare an audience after a funny line, waiting for it to sink in as Jack Benny did, which takes enormous confidence. Like Jo Jo’s material, kids do factor in, and Andy seems to get into trouble just being himself in the playground.
Carey Marx comes across as a bit stiff and uncomfortable but don’t be fooled by his tomfoolery. His audience antennae are always on as he switches deftly between topics. Carey’s mad word pictures of extended ridiculousness are painted with rusted-on irony. “We need more male feminists because women have done a shit job of it.” He gauges the audience and tests the material for boundaries and hopefully he finds none. He is absolutely delicious when on a roll. Carey appeared at the Adelaide International Comedy Gala at Thebarton early in February and his show, British Comedian, Carey Marx: The Dead Don’t Heckle is also on this final Fringe weekend.
I recommend all of them! It’s the last weekend of the Fringe and these comics would be a great way to turn off the lights.
David Grybowski
When: 17 Feb to 18 Mar
Where: Belgian Beer Café ‘Oostende’ - Upstairs
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
