Fraser Millward presents his show Masquerade, a series of very funny sketches that he ties together immaculately from start to finish. It is a one man show, pushing Millward’s acting skills to the very limit, but also allowing him at the same time to experiment with his unique ideas of comedy. The highlight of the show is certainly the big finale- a hilarious closing to a very original show.
The title of Millward's show has a few meanings and I really hope I'm on the same page as him here and haven't read too much into it. Masquerade involves masks, people in disguises, which is exactly the kind of performance you get from Millward. Millward plays the characters of traffic police, euthanasia salesperson, coach driver, game show host and toilet cleaner. He plays them all well, squeezing completely different voices and personalities into a one-hour performance.
Masquerade’s real definition though is a ‘masked ball’, a bit of posh fun and dancing in a fancy frock and disguise. There is something a little creepy and strange in these kinds of events and there is an element of this in Millward’s show. You may struggle at points to really understand what he is acting out and why and it does get plain silly at points, far beyond what is logically funny.
Expect a lot of audience participation in this show: avoiding the front row will not save you from it either, so I suggest you simply accept it and prepare to be dragged up on the stage. Expect to sit in a tent, get soaked from water bombs and drink whisky. That element aside, expect a good knees-up kind of party with crazy characters all depicted very well by Fraser Millward.
