Elizabeth Surbey

SLIDE NIGHT! : SIDE-SPLITTING SPONTANEOUS COMEDY

‘Slide Night’ Pic Jordan Munns

SLIDE NIGHT! is an invitation to some live and improvised Australian comedy hosted by Rove McManus, familiar to television audiences.  

The “Australian sense of humour” is often characterised as dry, ironic and irreverent. The Australian tradition of self-mockery runs thick in the comedy scene. We see all of this in the setup of two teams in a competitive playoff of challenges and games, but more than this, it is ridiculous and so-much-fun. 

Tonight, we were taken to a live court case about the offence of wearing clothes to a nudist beach in Dee Why, a religious congregation, the boardroom where creatives were pitching their ideas, the pilot for a children’s television show, strangers telling stories around a campfire, and TED talk experts to name a few of the games’ devices. Each time ‘the slide’, a found object, acted as a stimulus for the improvisation or indeed became the foil for all the fun.  

An assortment of games, a new celebrity guest dropping in each night, this Slide Show formula will ensure that no two shows are the same but will have audiences in stitches. All structured to be teased and teasing and the master improvisers managed some magical “shelved ideas” that are pure classic improvisation success. Not once were the audience neglected in this wonderful interactive comedy magic.

With impro artists who themselves are writers, improvisers, stand up comedians and radio hosts themselves, tonight they were joined in the Rove backyard Slide Show at the Creative House, with tonight’s special one-off guests Amanda Keller and Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones. Both as engaging in the art of the sudden surprise artfully managed, deflected and as fast as a great tennis match.

Inspired by the unpredictability of backyard slide nights from years gone by, these photos create absurd settings and outrageous situations for the comedians to explain away. Each one a prodigal and insight into another time and space of the past – ‘borrowed’ anywhere from the 60s to the 90s. Samples in our night included a huge flagpole and very small man beneath, a vineyard, three 1950s ladies and a man with camera pointed at the photographer, a St Helens Hardware store front. A couple were so odd they were laughable before the scenes could layer on top.

There are the Teams, who alternate and tag their other play improvisers. Team captains Rebecca De Unamuno (Just for Laughs Australia, The Chasers War on Everything, Kath and Kim) and Bridie Connell (We interrupt This Broadcast, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Whose Line is it Anyway?). Tonight, also joining them were Daniel Cordeaux and Nicola Parry on Bridie’s Team and Happy Feraren and Jim Fishwick on Bec’s Team.

Add to the mix live music from Benny Davis (The Axis of Awesome) to accompany the chaos, himself a master improviser was a perfect warm up engaging the audience in his preshow blend of banter-esque interplay. Throughout the show there was a perfect amount of audience interjection encouraged. Well done also, Michael Gregory, whose directing experience of the impro show has the measure of this creative endeavour well matched.

With all the focus and the talent that could carry such a “show” on the box, I was so enthralled with the thrill of the live interplay.  The perfect live experience for lovers of original and authentic Australian comedy. I cannot recommend it highly enough; I am going back for more.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Surbey

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whats-on

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Elizabeth Surbey

Elizabeth had a passion for theatre and performing from her youth and was a keen contributor to the joint school musicals- mostly the Gilbert and Sullivan romps. Once she headed to university this passion dominated with a 4 year stint at UNE in Armidale encompassing both performance and directing as major components of her Double Major in Drama and Major in English Literature. The year after graduation she found herself not only at the newly formed Actors' Centre but also teaching high school drama. She is still there, teaching, directing, writing for high school Drama and on the side across the years has performed in small season productions at Q theatre and directed several productions for the Short & Sweet program being a part of the inaugural group. Keenly she has represented other drama educators as committee member then President of Drama NSW also representing NSW on the National Committee at Drama Australia National Conferences. She completed her MA a century ago also with a focus on Drama & Theatre at UNSW. She is now a mum of two and recently directed her sixth Musical - perhaps now coming full circle in the scheme of things. She was contributing and consulting editor on a major Drama text for Cambridge Uni Press "Drama ReLoaded". More than anything she loves theatre and is very keen to share her experiences with this forum. Each year she directs secondary students in plays from Australia and across the globe, in productions large and small.