Hmmmm. I was expecting a different kind of show…
OK, now we have got past that obvious little joke (which by the way, the performer made reference to as well), let me tell about this show.
First off the good. It’s a little gem. May as well state that right off the bat. It is rare that I give a show a 5 star rating, but this show is one of the few that is worthy.
So what goes into a 5 star rated show for me? Well it has to grab my attention from the outset and then hold it for the duration of the show. It has to be that entertaining that I couldn’t say that there would be another show that I could have seen in preference to it that would have offered better entertainment for the time spent.
It also has to be a show in which it totality is greater than the sum of its parts. This is achieved by a performer who has experience and polish that allows every little aspect of the show to be entertaining.
From the start of this show, the persona of Dick Darrow, a private detective from the America of the 40’s, had the audience in stitches, and kept them in stitches for the duration.
The persona was part classic old school 1940s style private detective from old movies and part the bumbling incompetence of Maxwell Smart.
The dick tricks that the title refers to are magic tricks. The tricks are standard fare for anyone who has been to any fringe show involving magic. Card tricks, mind reading tricks etc. If this was all the show was, it wouldn’t be anything I haven’t seen before and wouldn’t be worthy of 5 stars.
What made it worthy was all the wise cracks that were made. They were hilarious! I won’t give any away because out of context they may seem a bit lame, but within the context of the show they absolutely made the show.
There was plenty of audience participation, and the people picked were great sports and really hammed it up, which was fun to see.
I started off with the good. I’d better get to the bad now. Hmmmm, there isn’t any that I recall. This would be top 4 on the list of all fringe shows I’ve seen, and I’ve managed to see a few now – from the superb to the cringeworthy to the incredibly over rated.
So if you haven’t figured it out yet, this is a show I highly recommend. If you only see one show this fringe, this one would be worth being that show.
Reviewed by Shaun Turton of Sam About Town for All Over Adelaide
5 stars
Photos by James Penlidis and Nathaniel Mason, courtesy of the artist
Playing at Gluttony until 18 March
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/6-quick-dick-tricks-a-dirk-darrow-investigation-af2018
