Presented by Liz Hirstle
Reviewed 1 March 2017
Despite offering a varied selection of skits made up of slap-stick humour, song and dance, egg-throwing and wine-sculling, A Recipe for Disaster doesn’t live up to its full potential.
You’re in for an hour of varying food-themed skits from “The Full Fanny” (toffee celebrity chef) and “Strippers Breakfast” (exactly what it sounds like), to “If You Can’t Stand the Heat… Stay Away From My Dragons!” (think a bit of Nigella Lawson combined with Game of Thrones).
The style of humour is very similar to that of famous British comedies such as The Benny Hill Show, Are You Being Served and Little Britain, but centred around the theme of food (and unfortunately not quite as good).
All performers give 100%, although the stand-out is definitely Natasha Scholey whose enthusiastic and exaggerated acting is perfect for roles such as Chef Louis, a stereotypical cut-throat, perfectionist French Chef and a troublemaking, arrogant high-schooler reminiscent of the prickly Vicky Pollard from Little Britain.
The show’s creator Lizzy Hirstle has a good on-stage presence and has the talent to belt out a tune or two throughout the show. Her best role is in “Toast Master” as an older, posh woman who humorously gets her Butler drunk, followed by an un-seen twist at the end of the sketch. Tom Barnes is amusing as the intoxicated Butler who is just trying to do his job, though unfortunately for much of the show Barnes is outshone by both Scholey and Hirstle.
You can tell that a huge amount of effort has gone into this production with multitudes of costumes, props, songs, and a long slideshow full of photos and videos that plays throughout the show. However, like the rest of A Recipe for Disaster, the slideshow in the background ranges from amusing images and skits to the bizarre that just doesn’t really make sense.
The breaks between the different sketches were too long, but fortunately the audience was provided with food to nibble on while waiting. These are just small basic appetizers such as meatballs, cheese, biscuits and chocolate covered nuts, but it is an interesting idea to cover time while also relating to the theme of the show.
Although the idea is quite creative, unfortunately A Recipe for Disaster doesn’t hit the mark as a finely-tuned comedy show. But, if you do love your British comedies and have an open mind, you could very well find this an enjoyable night out.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox
Rating out of 5: 2.5
Venue: Norwood Live at The Norwood Hotel, 97 The Parade, Norwood
Season: 2 – 12 March
Duration: 70 mins
Tickets: $24 – $30
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/a-recipe-for-disaster
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