Review – Anne Edmonds in My Banjo’s name is Steven

Perhaps it was early-in-the-season jitters, but Anne’s timing was slightly off at times during this, her
second 2012 Adelaide Fringe performance.

Still, she has a strong voice and a strident, almost brash, style of delivery that only wavered occasionally.
She bravely soldiered on, despite the hiccups, and pulled it together nicely in the end, winning us over
with her goofiness and her self-effacing gags about life on the outers of the social-fringe.

Anyone who has ever felt like a misfit will appreciate Anne’s stories, as will fans of daggy-dancing and
high energy, physica synthe l comedy. Her voice isn’t bad either. Amy Bennett’s accompaniment on the keys
deserves a mention as the-type sounds enhanced the overall feel of nostalgic awkwardness.

Having spent time in both rural and urban Australia, Anne does a wonderful job of taking the absolute
piss out of characters that most of us will recognise, yet she does so with graceful good humour, seeming
to have nary a mean streak in her lovely bones.

Bawdy, painfully honest and joyfully silly, Anne’s work would brighten up the darkest of days and
deserves greater recognition outside her current home, and comfort zone, of Melbourne.