If you are adventurous enough to find the nondescript doorway to the SA Writers Centre you can briefly enter the strange world of Stevl Shefn (aka Steve Sheen) where he presents his Little Comidy Spots.
The show was a bizarre and slightly disturbing experience with Stevl seated in a chair with wild eyes and extreme gesturing as he related the material in his particular dialect of “Albanian”. His translator Fatima, dressed in traditional black Muslim atire, stood stationary behind a microphone and delivered the perverse English version with a straight face. When required, Stevl threw himself into some miming, only to calmly return to the chair. The intimacy of the venue added to this strange atmosphere. It was an ingenious and unique method of presenting the material.
The material itself was of the absurdist variety comprising of short story segments. Some of it comprised of subtle wordplay while the rest was blatantly off the wall. We were told of inter-species relationships, his family and the weird things he encountered in his everyday life. One highlight was an extended sequence that over analysed and combined two of comedy’s classic jokes with ever escalating surrealism.
In addition to Stevl’s bizzare stories were a couple of musical performances. We were subjected to a filthy rendition of the Albanian national anthem complete with “Subterranean Homesick Blues” style translation cards, as well as the comically performance of a well known movie theme that was partially realised despite a complicated set up.
Stevl Shen’s Little Comidy Spots could be considered a work of genius. These characters were mantained from the start of the show until the audience departed to completely immerse the punters in this strange little world. If you are a fan of the strange and unhinged you are sure to laugh your head off.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.