Foible Boible - Melbourne Fringe Review

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Posted 2022-10-13 by Ann about Town ⇒ follow

Mon 10 Oct 2022 - Sat 15 Oct 2022

"One strange guy, one hour of your life you're not getting back."

This was the premise for Oliver Cowen's sketch comedy show at Bard's Apothecary. Needless to say, I was intrigued. There is general tomfoolery and there is Oliver.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.After a full day in the office, I found myself more than willing to laugh along to Oliver's many zany antics which included eating ham covered in hand sanitiser (geddit Ham sanitiser?!) and gobbling boiled eggs whilst dressed as a lizard. This is clearly a man working very hard for my entertainment. With a professional background in clowning (he studied under clown legend Phillipe Gaulier), Oliver is here to make his mark on the Melbourne Fringe scene. Foible Boible is literally bursting at the seams with memorable sketches such as a Finnish sauna enthusiast and Jacinda Ardern as a call centre worker which elicited the odd fit of giggles from my ex flatmate, a proud Kiwi lass.

As Oliver himself acknowledged, "There are some people who would not enjoy this show. We know who they are. But for those who are predisposed to the silly or ridiculous, please tell them about the show." As we left the venue, my ex flatmate affirmed my sentiments, "Well, that was a vibe." Indeed it was. Tell your friends. Q&A with Foible Boible creator Oliver Cowen

What's been going on? I've just returned from a 6 week clown course with clown legend Phillipe Gaulier and I'm ready to kick some shows in the butt! I'm so invigorated by performance and find immense pleasure in making people laugh. This is the funniest stuff and I'm going to make sure people know it!What events inspired the show?I met a person from Finland while studying in France and they have such a magnificent accent. That's the inspiration for EVERYTHING I do from now on.What do you want the audience to take away from the piece? I really hope people have a good time. I mean, that's what it's all about... isn't it?How would you describe your performance/personal style?Silly. Boy. Fullstop. The end. Sum up the show in one wordMoist.