Men with Coconuts – 4.5 stars

Men with Coconuts pulled off a trifecta last night and the audience were the winners, laughing all the way to the finish line.

Improv requires a combination of talent, skill, and the vitality of your audience on the night. Men with Coconuts are actors, singers, a freestyle rapper, comedians and musicians and gently (as in no scary audience participation) encourage us to contribute ideas, until they had us, and themselves at times, in stitches.

Will, Charlie, Col and Steve hail from Edinburgh, and with that geographic credential we’re on solid comedic ground. As we’re amiably cajoled to elicit responses for genre, mood, location and style, they create absurd rapid fire scenes segueing from horror to romance, improbable guessing games (this night it was Marilyn Munro in a well fitting slipper with a salmon filled cane) and hysterical musicals (I learnt one can own an ‘emergency bindle’). 

Men with coconuts at the Wine Centre, Adelaide
Men with Coconuts at the Wine Centre, Adelaide

The team have strong and accomplished singing voices, perfect comedic timing, a stage presence which is both kind and hilarious and Colin keeps up, somehow, & heightens to the banter, on keyboards.

By the final act they’ve got our confidence and that’s the only way this segment works with the (verbal) participation of a couple from the audience and their responses via noise making props. Reminiscent of Harpo from the Marx Brothers, we find out how much a horn really can ‘say’!

Coconut winners – Jean-Paul and Rosemary
Coconut winners – Jean-Paul and Rosemary

The National Wine Centre is a beautiful venue, the seats are many but the competition is strong. Get your bums on these seats and contribute your enthusiasm for a rollicking good show.

PS Espresso martinis are available ON TAP. This is an audience enhancer.

The afore-mentioned "audience enhancer"
The afore-mentioned “audience enhancer”

Men with Coconuts are playing

  • Gallery Room, The National Wine Centre until 1 March &
  • The Pocket at Stirling Fringe 1 – 2 March.

Purchase tickets here
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/men-with-coconuts-af2019

Visit Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/MenWithCoconuts/

Author: Jane Durbridge

A lover of the arts, a writer of the words, a drinker of the wine; the festival (& wine) state immerses you in its offerings in some way or another. To see extraordinary performances & installations & listen to exceptional musicians & writers has become an artistic ritual of my own. Read about some of my experiences here.

Share This Post On

2 Comments

  1. Good and accurate review.

    Post a Reply
    • Hi Sally
      Thank you very much – sounds like you enjoyed the show too!
      Cheers,
      Sam

      Post a Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *