No hablo bebe: ~ Juggling With Spanish ~ Adelaide Fringe 2021 Review

[Comedy/Stand Up ~ WORLD PREMIERE ~ SA] Hell’s Kitchen at Rhino Room, Sat 13 Mar. Michael Connell is a very personable comic and for quite a lengthy introduction to this show it feels like he is content just to chat to the audience about anything really. Amongst other things, having recently moved to Adelaide to live, he tells us how much he enjoys living here. In a room as small as Hell’s Kitchen there is no escape if he wants to engage you in conversation and pretty soon I know a bit about almost everyone else in the room. It takes a while for the premise of the show to kick in. What feels like a fairly thin idea for a comedy routine, that he wants his infant daughter to be bilingual and to be able to speak Spanish, even though neither he nor his wife speak Spanish, turns out to be a fairly thin idea for a comedy routine. It doesn’t go too far beyond unhelpful phrases learned from tourist language guides, and learning to be overdramatic in another language by watching films with the Spanish subtitles turned on. There were a number of Spanish speaking people in the audience, and they seemed to be laughing the loudest. This could mean either that Connell’s Spanish is a little better than he is letting on and he was telling them more than he was telling the rest of us, or it could mean they thought his accent was atrocious. The last 10 or so minutes of the show Connell spends juggling, for no apparent reason other than he can! The juggling is impressive, and some of the funniest gags of the show are delivered with as many as five balls in mid-air. But I was left with the feeling that this was a routine he had done many times before and had little to do with the premise of this particular show. This is an all-ages friendly show and kids would particularly enjoy the juggling, although it’s not a kids’ show per se. The humour is gently self-deprecating and no audience member was harmed in its telling. You don't need to speak Spanish to enjoy the show, but it may be even funnier if you do. 3.5 stars Adrian Miller No hablo bebe continues at Hell’s Kitchen at Rhino Room from 6.15pm until Sat 20 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe #ClotheslineMag