Fishlace Jones - The Entire History of the Theatre in 437 Minutes

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Wed 24 Mar 2021 - Sun 28 Mar 2021

Fishlace Jones - The Entire History of the Theatre in 43.7 Minutes

I first encountered Fishlace Jones, aka Charlie Ranger, in his brilliant show Behind the Curtain , in 2018. Describing his work then as "masterful in his comedic delivery and timing" and also "HILARIOUS" (yes, I capitalised it!), I was keen to see if Fishlace could maintain the same high standard in his new show, Entire History of the Theatre in 43.7 Minutes The Entire History of the Theatre in 43.7 Minutes , particularly after a COVID enforced hiatus.

To get back into the comedy scene, Fishlace has written this show, and in so doing, has taken on a huge challenge - to (as the show's name suggests) cover the entire history of theatre in around 45 minutes. Think about all the aspects of theatre - from Ancient Greece and Rome, through Elizabethan to modern-day, and you'll realise just what a huge challenge this is. Fishlace is the man for the job.



Bringing in some comedy/tragedy masks was an easy way to warm up the audience and give us a taste of Fishlace's brand of comedy.



He made clever use of other simple props to help take us into the relevant historical era. The Ancient Greeks, for example, had a strong belief in their gods, and that influenced Grecian theatre. I don't recall seeing a symbol to represent a god quite like the one used by Fishlace, but perhaps it was an obscure fertility god.



Fishlace also incorporates his audience into the performance. Be warned, nowhere, but nowhere is safe if you are sitting in the audience. Don't think you'll be spared if you tuck yourself away in the back row! These three hapless audience members were brought up on to stage to form an impromptu choir (and did a great job).



Sitting in the front row, I even got to 'wear' a smear of squashed raspberry, a projectile from the stage. Fortunately, it just missed my white t-shirt! The show creates a dynamic environment where there's the sense that anything could happen.

Overall, what I was again delighted to see was Fishlace's confident delivery, rapier sharp wit, and intelligently scripted, laugh-a-minute patter. He has a talent for engaging with the audience which takes the show to another level. There is also a balance in his performance between brashness and pathos which is appealing.

I continue to be a big fan of Fishlace's work, can't wait for his next show, and strongly encourage others to check out The Entire History of Theatre.



A quick word too about the MC Showroom, venue for this event. It's the first time I've visited, and I thought it was a great location. It's a good sized theatre for this type of show, comfortably seating around 50 patrons on the night we attended. The event was very professionally run, with staff ensuring audience members were not congregating in the foyer area.

Fishlace Jones The Entire History of the Theatre in 43.7 Minutes plays at The MC Showroom, Level 1, 48 Clifton St, Prahran at 6.30pm each day until Sunday 28th March. Show running time is 50 minutes.

Tickets are adult: $24.50, concession: $20.50. Click here to buy tickets online, or call the MICF box office on (03) 9245 3788.

#comedy
#humour
#indoor
#inner_south
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#prahran
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#march
!date 24/03/2021 -- 28/03/2021
%wnmelbourne