Review: Prohibition
Adelaide Fringe
Cabaret-circus show Prohibition evokes an era when booze was banned, femmes were fatale and detectives were dicks. ★★★½
It begins with Irishman “Paddy the Plank” (Patrick McCullagh) welcoming the audience to his smoky, circa-1930 speakeasy bar in Chicago with a taste of bad bootlegged whisky, before glamorous “Silver Pipes Sid” (Adelaide cabaret singer Sidonie Henbest) launches into the first song of the evening.
When ensues is an 80-minute performance featuring acrobatics, singing, juggling, magic and comedy, all linked via a loose story based around a dodgy detective trying to shut down Paddy’s illegal operation.
Trilby-wearing, toy-gun-totting Tim Motley is super suave and deliciously droll as the “jaded private dick” Dirk Darrow, the embodiment of the iconic film noir detective and a magician to boot. He’s so cool he even eats razor blades.
Another highlight is the hunchback clown, who wins over the audience with routines involving ping-pong balls, balloons, darts, a crossbow and one hapless chap from the crowd.
The acrobatic acts – including one balancing routine involving a large number of cocktail glasses – are also impressive, although not quite as slick as some you will see during Fringe.
Presented by Australian company Motley & Mac, Prohibition is a fun show with plenty of variety – in fact, perhaps a little too much variety. While most audience members seemed to enjoy themselves, there were times when engagement levels fell.
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Trimming some of the routines and reducing the overall length of the performance by 10 minutes would likely result in a much tighter show. Eighty minutes is just too long to sit on a wooden bench in a tent on a coolish evening, never mind when it’s hot.
Three-and-a-half stars
Prohibition is being presented in The Speakeasy, Gluttony, until February 28.
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