Intimate Apparel utilizes the ideal topic for a Fringe show, tearing holes in the sacred cows of theatre and performance art through song. To the average punter on the street, this may be dismissed as a wanky show making fun of other wanky shows. To its target audience, the students of theatre and hardcore patrons of the arts, it can be regarded as clever appropriation of theatrical forms to satirize those same forms. But will the practitioners of those art forms appreciate being lampooned by a cabaret show? Perhaps those that suffer for their art may enjoy the flagellation?
Michael Dalley and Paul McCarthy have put together an amusing show comprised of songs that each examine a particular style of theatre, usually through the story of a single character. These over the top caricatures were portrayed with minimal props and used sparingly, allowing the lyrics to be the main focus. Seamless linking of the songs through monologues and segued introductions completed the one hour package.
We were introduced to a reactionary ballerina, a tedious erotic cabaret artiste, a failed queer theatre artist, an amateur thespian looking for acceptance and a pair of Australian “Asian Art” practitioners. Even the comedians copped a serve via a clueless stand up who “borrowed” various comedic devices in an attempt to attract an audience. A liberal amount of artist name checking and references to various practices kept the artistic punters cackling in delight through the show. Although the casual punter may not get most of these references, the pomposity of it all is sure to raise a chuckle.
One song that stood out was about ex-footballers becoming motivational speakers. Despite a tenuous link to performance, interaction and attracting an audience, this was a somewhat odd topic for a show aimed at the arts community. In this case, they were no longer ridiculing themselves as artists but casting their net to the wider community and the entertainment preferences of the masses. This could be a topic for a show on its own, but here it seemed a little out of place.
The show was staged in the gallery space above Dantes, with its bare white walls and bright lighting of the entire room. Would I be reading too much into it to suggest a subtext about theatre being vacuous from this? They made use of all the gallery space throughout the performance with their exaggerated theatrical exercises, even using the large size of the space to cleverly reverse the audience – performer dynamic at one stage. The musical accompaniment of a lone keyboard emphasized the bare bones nature of the show, putting it in a Rehearsal Space setting that suited the shows theme perfectly.
The songs themselves incorporated rather witty lyrics that were far from sugarcoated and rather blunt in their attacks of theatre. The first few tunes sounded rather generic in melody to me, causing me to wonder whether they were lampooning some repetitive theatrical device I was unfamiliar with. Some variety in the songs soon emerged to increase the interest level. They employed the standard “verse, chorus, verse, chorus…” structure that contained plenty of humorous ideas over their duration, although the choruses did get dangerously close to being repetitive at times.
This was a wholly entertaining show that had a niche market, with artistic types finding it to be a hoot. Despite a wonderful performance by two long time and versatile artists, the general punter may find it to be “too Fringe” for them.
*For bookings and further information see the “Fringe Website”:http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/season/2007/show/165/ *