Theatre (comedy, devised).

 theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (Venue 53).

14:45. 10th-12th August.

There was a disturbing moment at the start of the show where I thought I was about to receive a sex-ed class from a group of bright-eyed and presumably-not-very-bushy-whatevered children. I was glad to discover the young cast from Sydney Theatre School are in their early twenties and I’m just old. It did somewhat set the tone though, for a mostly entertaining yet mildly unsettling show. The majority of the jokes are puerile or vulgar, but if you’re after a giggle I wouldn’t let that disturb you unduly. The topic is sex, and we all know how hard it is to expertly pull that off (see?). These seventeen relatively inexperienced Australians creating comedy around crassness sometimes rely on brash stereotypes of Aussie culture in a valiant attempt to please, thus veering off-topic. However, a couple of these ‘aren’t Aussies weird compared to the British?’ sketches also grant the most amusing whipper-snappers chances to really shine, in a comedic climate they seem to feel much more comfortable in.

Overall, the cast are energetic, likeable and up for a variety of playful scenes. I especially enjoyed the way polyamory, bisexuality and other kinds of sexuality are integrated without so much as a shrug – adorably hashtag millennial. Unfortunately, occasional forays into dangerous territory like sexism or homophobia let it cross from charmingly uncomfortable into downright cringeworthy from time to time – while it’s good for a punchline to reverse audience assumptions, they’d be clever to remember how much we all crave relief! Saying that, these youngsters show a lot of promise – the deadpan checkout girl is one to watch – and seeing as they wrote and devised this themselves, I think they did well. This is not a Fringe show to see with your dad, or at the very least, my dad. It is one I wish I’d seen as a wide-eyed teen, as it maybe could’ve helped to lightheartedly clear up a couple things about my body which my teachers and parents evidently wouldn’t touch with even each others’ barge poles (THREE holes?!).  

Jo Harrison