Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Sir David And His Animals

Sir David Attenborough, that world famous Naturalist and wild life documentary film maker makes a very welcome appearance at the Bakehouse this Fringe (or does he?)

Wonderous wildlife abounds (in human form)
5

Reviewed at the Bakehouse on 10 March 2019

Presented by Clownfish

Sir David Attenborough, that world famous Naturalist and wild life documentary film maker makes a very welcome appearance at the Bakehouse this Fringe (or does he?). Also appearing with him are many animals (or are they?). No, he doesn’t and no, they’re not.

Fortunately for Adelaide audiences though, performers Jonathan Tilley and Jess Clough-MacRae step into the fray with hilarious results. Tilley stands in for the absent knight and sounds so eerily like Sir David that, if you shut your eyes, you would swear he was the real thing – but don’t, otherwise you will miss all of his physical antics and those of his partner-in-crime, Clough-MacRae.

Clough-MacRae portrays brilliantly and hilariously the majority of animals, and they are many and varied – from the mighty whale all the way down to the tiniest of spiders. All are cleverly created using only her body, especially the Manta Ray; her Sloth demonstrates how rubbery her face can become; and her Gorilla is worth the price of admission alone.

These two performers are recent graduates of Lecoq schooling which teaches the art of mime, clowning and physical theatre and they are both superb at their craft. To paint images into an entire audience’s minds so that we all see the same picture is an art at which this very talented pair excel.

The show never lets up in its comedy, except for one very telling moment depicting Man’s disastrous impact on the environment and wildlife using only the actors’ physicality and a paper bag – it is truly moving and poignant. The ending is also one of those memorable theatrical moments.

This is a show ideally suited to the whole family and is not offensive in any way. Perhaps it’s a good thing Sir David and his entourage doesn’t show up – otherwise we would miss out on the excellent entertaining of Tilley and Clough-MacRae.

Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods

Venue: The Bakehouse Theatres
Season: Until 16 March 2019
Duration: 60 mins
Tickets: $12.50 – $25 Family $65

 

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