Reviewed by Brigitte Rennie
The Hipster premiered in an iconically Australian venue – a brewery. Run by the Little Bang Brewing Company the site/venue is stylishly industrial.
An inspired choice.
I’ll avoid repeating the production notes as the show plot does what it says. Setting up a pretentious laneway bar in Hindley Street next to a strip club is a recipe for disaster. There is a happy ending where all the characters resolve their differences, grow and re-invent themselves to various degrees. The musical numbers (I believe 13 in total, so perhaps it is a musical?) are varied in style from soul to pop accompanied by live music from a 4 piece band set to the right of the audience. This worked well overall with the occasional overshadowing of the lyrics by the percussion – always a tricky thing to get the right balance. Ensemble vocals were very good although the 3 female cast members Jennifer Truo, Rachel McCall and Tamara Linke shone the brightest.
Problems with Jesse Budel’s radio mic was really disappointing as those songs were lost to anyone sitting beyond the first 2 rows. The Centrelink song received the most titters and my personal highlight was the predictive text scene. Clever.
Business ventures, relationships, finding your feet in a new country are universal themes. The same story could be told in any other city. This is where the production fell short. I just failed to see how it was about Adelaide and for Adelaide. Perhaps more references where made in the songs I couldn’t hear?
Congratulations though must go to Tamara Linke, Catherine Campbell and Soundbowl Productions for creating an original show which has potential.
Tickets available from the Adelaide Fringe website:
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-hipster-a-musical-for-people-who-don-t-like-musicals-af2020
