Karli Evans and Kat Roma Greer of Australia’s Rue de La Rocket company come to the Fringe with a show which, though billed as theatre, could easily be mistaken for a sketch comedy show. The two women who perform in a rather intimate room splice together zany sketches with the use of a special voice box, which allows them to record their speech in multiple layers to create funny backing tracks to their sketches.
The often slapstick sketches are augmented by smaller scenes using techniques in voice control for comic effect. However what does pull the show down slightly is that the bulk of the material is exclusive to Australian culture. Therefore, unless the audience has a good basic knowledge of Australian commercial products some of the humour can be lost.
It’s very interesting that the show is marketed as a piece of theatre: the comedy is intelligent and has a few lucid ideas - from the joys of speed dating to the mundanity of working in a supermarket - so there is no reason for it to fear the section. A standout moment is the girls’ wry observations on working in a call centre, the prospect of a caller having a stroke or heart attack not putting them off their stride. The pair are very reminiscent of the British duo Sue and Mel during their early years at the Fringe, making use of the same style and feel of observational comedy. The touch at the end of giving every audience member their own box really ensures that the show will leave a lasting imprint in the mind.
By the end, the show becomes slightly repetitive but that said it’s a rather joyful fifty-two minutes of fun that once seen shall never be forgotten.
