“If you’re not laughing, you’re learning”…
And there was plenty of both amidst this fast paced, very entertaining gala extravaganza.
Hosted by Ange Lavoipierre, last night’s gala was a showcase of events being produced this Fringe by Preachrs Productions. Held at The Producers Hotel, the audience was treated to 8 performances across a variety of genres, including, stand up comedy, circus, music, cabaret and burlesque.
The evening began with laughter as Ange Lavoipierre set the atmosphere and ‘warmed up’ the crowd. Ange will be performing her own show at Gluttony from tonight, called, ‘I’ve got 99 problems and here is an exhaustive list of them” and going by her performance last night, it’s set to be a cracker!
We were entertained musically by two very diverse performances, each full of talent. See ‘The Alchemist of Feelings’ for unique compositions by singer Frankly and for a complete contrast see the energetic ‘It’s not a phase!’ for a pop punk night and also an emo night. The latter played acoustically last night, however will have a full band for their upcoming shows at the Second Floor Lounge.
It’s not a phase!
The gala showcased several stand up comedians, all of whom were very funny. You can find details of all their shows on the Fringe website under the Preachrs Production listing and see what takes your fancy. A highlight for me was the last stand up comedian who ensured the audience left with smiles on their faces. With carefully crafted jokes and storytelling, Aidan Jones was highly entertaining and has a Fringe show called ‘Passing Time’.
Another show to look out for is ‘Hot Mess’, a combination of stand up, burlesque and clowning, performed by Nona Mona. Her taster show last night was fabulous, funny and full of her effervescent personality. Her show is on at the Mercury Cinema.
Preachrs Productions founder, Benjamin Maio Mackay, performs in several shows himself including Disney Delights, a family friendly affair described as “a magical, musical journey through the biggest & best Disney songs, from ‘Mary Poppins’ to ‘Frozen'”.
For a complete change of pace, we were also ‘treated’ to sideshow circus performer, Alexandra the Great, who brought out the gasps from the audience when she announced she was “going to hammer 2 nails into her nose”. For those who didn’t look away, we were actually treated to viewing this crazy stunt and then she upped the ante with another one, but you’ll have to see her show ‘Diary of a sideshow showgirl’ to discover what that was!
Diary of a sideshow showgirl
Find out more and book tickets for the Preachrs Production program here.
Adelaide Fringe runs from 18 February – 20 March 2022.
