Review – Winter is Coming
Admission: $24; $18 Concession and Group; $15 Tuesdays
Venue: Fringe Hub – Upstairs at Errol’s
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It’s a damn shame that Winter Is Coming – a referential Game of Thrones not-quite parody, not-quite musical comedy – which sounded like it could be a dragon egg of comedy gold, was largely a self-indulgent example of why people dislike actors and musical theatre. The performers were bubbling with enthusiasm which saved them from flopping completely, but unfortunately the lack of structure and specificity turned the show into an opportunity for them to run around in wigs having fun while the audience simply watched. Rather like how Bran watched Cersei and Jamie’s incest at the top of a tower in Winterfell.
The keyboard player James Baker was superbly subtle and confidently bemused as he played the opening theme, but the actors dominated the stage with a playful flailing dance that didn’t reveal anything new about the beast that is GoT. Michelle Brasier and Vince Milesi, particularly, fought for centre stage with a ferocity that was distancing. It was “understudies” Laura Frew and Leo Milesi that stole the show with performances which supported the needs of each rolling skit, rather than drawing attention to themselves. Their Eurovision host roles towards the end of the show were hilarious, witty and unexpected.
The most clever and amusing references in the show were those that drew connections to other epic fantasy like Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Those fawn pants and pan flute came out of nowhere! And the links from Lord Tyrion to Dobby and Smeagol were riotous.
Despite my criticism, it was a fun show; unfortunately the old, obvious, unoriginal references outweighed the witty, unexpected and new. It was disappointing that the impersonations of the GoT characters were uncommitted and generalised, and that there wasn’t really anything new or interesting to be discovered in the fifty minutes of cramped cringing.
I am not sure what day this unnamed reviewer attended Winter Is Coming but I was there for the sold out opening night and while an important – if entirely transparent – role of any audience is “simply watching” the performance, this crowd spent fifty minutes in peels of laughter and spontaneous applause. It seems that the main premise of the show – a playful poke at those who have jumped on the Game Of Thrones bandwagon without really watching the series – has been missed by this reviewer who has failed to pick up on the entirely self-deprecating, satirical performances of the cast. A shame, because there in lay the show’s clever humour and witty song adaptations.
While I wouldn’t do readers the injustice of ruining the unexpected jokes and plot twists of this incredibly entertaining show, I would assure them that I left the venue with a face sore from laughing and a resolve to send friends – some Game of Thrones fans, others who would more aptly fit into the category the show teases. Either way, Winter Is Coming is a fringe show not to be missed.