Review – Comic Strip
Asher Treleaven is a fitting host for Comic Strip. He is, as he says, a man of contradictions: “A blend of socially responsible rhetoric and dick jokes. A well-dressed, well-spoken Queenslander.” Regional humour is a risky move with such a large Fringe crowd, where there is always going to be someone from everywhere. Thankfully, Treleaven is even smarter than he looks, and he looks very smart indeed. A consummate professional, this quick clown fox can jump over any hazy fog. Treleaven can spin on a dime, turning a momentarily bombing joke into a firecracker. “I love Comic Strip because I love all things vintage. There is nothing like wearing a dead man’s second best suit.” It takes more than a moment for the joke to land, and when everyone gets it at once, the crowd’s laughs never again leave the twisted, pleasingly perverse embrace of his comedy.
With any risk of bombing out of the way, in comes burlesque bombshell Gypsy Wood to heat things up. For anyone who hasn’t seen a burlesque act before, and there was a handful in the audience who admitted they hadn’t, this was classic introduction to the spectacle: silken gloves and fluttering feathers over shimmying sashays of shaking hips.
Our first featured comic of the night, Marcel Lucont, fit like a glove. A cultured, cocky Frenchman as bawdy as any of the dancers, he steps out from behind the curtain wearing a velvet suit and an upturned nose, sipping a glass of chardonnay. “Normally, I drink a hearty red,” sneers Lucont. “But here in the heat, one must drink something chilled. You are meant to drink a good red at room temperature and I cannot drink something as warm as testicles.” With his je ne sais quoi he is strangely perverse enough to pull off his schtick, and Lucont was able to rip into critical commentary on the riff-raff of Adelaide all while having us eating from the palm of his hand.
Similarly speaking, Scottish comedian Craig Hill was able to effortlessly strut this same tightrope, alternating between flirting and insulting members of the audience, and having us all love every minute of it. Climaxing his act with non-verbal renditions of Whitney Houston, Cher and Britney Spears, Hill is talented enough to make the gag work, and clever enough to keep the room in stitches.
Untying her laced corsets next was headline act Kitty Bang Bang. Her act was high energy, intentionally pushing the envelope with a more modern twist on burlesque. However, the true jewel in the Idolize tent crown is Polly Rae, seamlessly fusing the burlesque and comedic aspects of Comic Strip. As sassy as she is sultry, as hot as she is hilarious, Miss Polly Rae weaves a spellbindingly funny song dispelling some of the myths about burlesque. “It’s not about the sex, but the lace and lipstick,” she whispers through pouting lips, before smirking, fluttering her eyelashes and flashing a knowing wink.
Open your tattered, dog-eared Fringe guide and you’ll see there is far more comedy in the Festival than anything else. Turning Adelaide into a funny soapbox for four weeks every year is something to be celebrated. But we must all remember that we can have a bit of slap with our tickle, and tickling our funny bone is as good a reason as any to also catch some high quality burlesque. Comic Strip is the best of both worlds and whoever the comedians happen to be each night, the ladies of the night will surely seduce you with their spell.
