Fringe review: Bond: An Unauthorised Parody
Adelaide Fringe
Bond: An Unauthorised Parody is a cheeky and entertaining one-man theatre experience at this year’s Adelaide Fringe. ★★★
The Bakehouse Theatre is a home for thespians that offers an altogether different experience from hubs like the Garden of Unearthly Delights or even the Arts Theatre just a few blocks down the street.
Handed a laminated red circus ticket upon entry and surrounded by happily chatting, champagne-drinking theatregoers, you find yourself engaged by the experience before the show even begins.
Then physical-theatre performer Gavin Robertson steps on stage in boisterous fashion, flinging open the black curtain.
There’s a wonderful, fun, stagey and eccentric feeling to Bond: An Unauthorised Parody that carries through its entire duration.
The one-man show is witty, continuously reminding audiences of James Bond’s great history. It’s like a love letter to author Ian Fleming through the sincerest form of flattery – imitation, albeit a parody.
Photo: Declan Durrant
Robertson mines the clichés, the womanising, the moustache-twirling villains and the silly plot twists – every intricate detail and all the minutia that makes Bond Bond. But the show doesn’t rely on Bond satire alone for its humour. Robertson is an exquisite physical performer who pokes fun at his own increasing weight and less Bond-like features.
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The great performance and tightly written script make 60 minutes fly by in a whirl of laughter. Forget big tents and clever tricks, all Robertson needs is a stage, three props and Ms Moneypenny by his side to provide an excellent night of entertainment – which he does with a wry smile and wink.
Bond: An Unauthorised Parody is at the Bakehouse Theatre until March 7.
See more Adelaide Fringe reviews here.
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