Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Scotland!

Winner of the Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award 2019, the lads from The Latebloomers are back in 2020 with Scotland! – a physical comedy demonstrating their take on everything Scottish.

5

Presented by The Latebloomers and Cluster Arts
Reviewed 20 February 2020

Winner of the Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award 2019, the lads from The Latebloomers are back in 2020 with Scotland! – a physical comedy demonstrating their take on everything Scottish.

The three “Scottish” lads (none of them are actually Scottish) are absolutely superb entertainers. Graduates of the Jacques Lecoq in Bristol, UK, their professionalism is obvious from the moment they barrel onto the stage in eye straining amounts of mismatched tartan, to the final strains of Auld Lang Syne. Sam Dugmore, Jonathon Tilley and Oliver Nilsson are all blessed with outstanding facial expressions and precise group coordination that is reminiscent of the Umbilical Brothers. Their physical interactions pantomime many aspects of Scottish stereotypes from fly-fishing to deer stalking, eating shortbread and stealing nips of whisky from a hipflask (it was actual Whisky as one audience member chosen to take a swig could attest) to drunken encounters in the pub.

More than just physical comedy, the trio work traditional Scottish songs into the show, along with extraordinary percussion executed through tap boots, clapping, using stools as drums and voice work. I never realised what wonderful bagpipes stools made! There’s also a significant amount of audience interaction that adds that extra layer of fun. ‘King Edward the First’, an audience member chosen to participate, slayed all three in a Braveheart-style death scene with much mimed blood and gore. There’s a Black Knight Montypython-esque decapitation scene, and yet another member of the audience got to wear deer antlers while the three men stalked him.

There’s not a lot of sense to what goes on, it’s just what the men imagine one would encounter in a trek along the high and low road to Scotland. But by gosh, what a fun time they have getting there. This is a silly, fun, absolutely absorbing show. There’s no profanity, but it is ‘laddish’ humour. However, that said, this would appeal to a wide range of people from teens to grandparents and everyone in between. If you want to see some comedy that departs from regular stand-up, you’ve got to see this show. I’m still grinning.

Oh, and if you want to know what a Scott wears under his kilt…you’ll have to see for yourself!

Reviewed by Samantha Bond
Twitter: @SamStaceyBond

Rating out of 5:  5

Venue:  The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Le Cascadeur and The Pocket at Stirling Fringe
Season:  Sat 22 Feb – Sun 23 Feb: 3:45pm – The PocketLe Cascadeur: Fri 21 Feb – Sun 23 Feb: 7pm, Tue 25 Feb – Fri 28 Feb: 7pm, Sun 1 Mar: 7pm
Duration:  60 mins
Tickets:  $20-32
Bookings:  https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/scotland-af2020

#ADLfringe

@threebloomers

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