Eric In Tinkerland

Tinkerings Adeladie Fringe 2019★★★

Derek Tickner. The Griffins Hotel – The Sky Room. 5 Mar 2020

 

Since debuting his world-first Tinkerings at last year’s Adelaide Fringe and presenting in Brisbane and around Australia, Tinker is back with his brand two-thirds-new show – but if you didn’t see the first show, and it’s likely you didn’t – it’s Tinker’s brand new show! Tinker’s specialty is playing familiar or unusual melodies on guitar and replacing the original lyrics with his own off-beat inventions. It’s like telling jokes in rhyme and to rhythm – a nice twist to the usual stand-up. And Tinker’s humour is more unusual than most - a unique brew of nerdy observation, looney lateral thinking, and that’s a funny way of looking at it.

 

At the opening, a Dr Who-style automaton appears wondering where Tinker is. There is a bit of confusion and Voila! the straw-hatted tinkerer is joyfully amongst us. The opening number, Rocket Man, is a hilarious imagination of Elton John at the grocers. Philosophy and Cow Meditation (did you know that Oom is Moo spelt backwards? It’s enough to put you off your T-bone) were reprised from last year with good reason – they are solid contributors to his oeuvre. More funny hats and masks, please! An observation about mermaids was a brief aside but very chucklesome. When you catch on to Doop Doop Doop, you laugh. As Tinker works through the set, the gush of madcap slows somewhat. Many of the songs in the second half seemed incomplete and suddenly over before helpful momentum could take effect. And a decent-sized audience is needed for momentum most of all.    

 

David Grybowski

 

When: 5 to 7 Mar

Where: The Griffins Hotel – The Sky Room

Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au