[THEATRE & PHYSICAL THEATRE/Comedy ~ WA ~ SA PREMIERE]
Dom Polski Jeden at Dom Polski, Sat 2 Mar, 2024.
If you have ever been on a really long road trip with a friend you’ll immediately relate to Vehicle’s opening scene where an unlikely duo try to cope with their boredom and growing frustration with each other by playing pointless I Spy (a cow) games and sharing anecdotes to kill time. They are on their way to a 10 minute comedy slot in a country town 6 hours away convinced it could be where they will be ‘discovered’ as a comedy act because a relative of Ben Elton might be there! What sounds like a fairly thin premise to maintain the laughs for an hour gets thrown wildly out an imaginary window when they stop at a service station for supplies.
The vehicle of the title is a couple of stools and a steering wheel with a few other props and a lot of imagination, but there is also the metaphorical sense that the show is a vehicle to encompass everything Sam Longley and Shane Adamczak know about putting a madcap show together. These two comedy students have studied their craft very intensely, workshopped their ideas to a high degree, and know each other’s skills enough to improv at will. Sam even gives a rant about the rules of mime at one stage which, while being wildly funny, also shows he knows his stuff.
Vehicle contains lots of laughs and takes lots of risks as a good Fringe show should. The plot is loose and jumps all over the place but in a good way. There is slapstick, fart jokes, mime, unscripted asides, goofiness, and laughs galore. Taking Laurel and Hardy-type characterisations, Sam as the older, wiser father figure with a wicked twinkle in the eye, and wonderful comic timing that keeps the audience watching to see what he might morph into next. A stint as a discarded appendix trying to reunite with its former owner might be the funniest thing we have seen for many years. Shane as a younger, insecure, and at times cloyingly annoying sidekick also performs with great skill. Their sheer physical differences (Sam is a soaring 6’10” with solid build, Shane’s more standard size and build looks weedy in comparison!) make them a perfect comedy duo.
Although the plot meanders all over the place, the manner in which they bring the show to a logical conclusion after watching footage of one of their rehearsals is so clever. This show deserves a longer run in Adelaide and hopefully they will bring it back here sometime. If they do, make every effort to see it.
4 stars
Cathy Tune & Adrian Miller
Vehicle continues at Dom Polski Jeden at Dom Polski from 8.45 until Sun 3 Mar [Final Show].
Book at FringeTIX and adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.
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The Clothesline Rating...
Catherine Tune & Adrian Miller
On the road to comedy bliss!
