No Idea
Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington
27/02/2010 - 28/03/2010
Production Details
No Idea ebullient in new venue!
No Idea, the show which rips stories from gossip mag headlines and brings ’em to life right before your very eyes, is back!
As an event Fringe 2010 show No Idea was very nearly sunk by the loss of its original venue. Just three days before opening night Oriental Bay’s Band Rotunda was closed for urgent water-damage related renovations.
Now, like a cheerful kraken arising from the depths of an unruly flood, No Idea returns for two glorious early evening shows at Wellington’s home for comedy, The Fringe Bar.
Help an intrepid band of improvisers put together the latest issue of No Idea: the hottest, newest, freshest most mildly depraved gossip magazine to never hit the overstuffed racks of Wellington’s newstands.
Find yourself lured by the headlines and glossy pics of women’s magazines? Topics familiar and ‘curvy’ evolve onstage with an Improv ‘take’ inspired by our cherished mags. Whether you’re fan or foe or buy them ‘just for the crosswords’. It’s a bumber issue!
Fringe Bar, corner of Vivian and Cuba St, Wellington
Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th of February 5pm
Door sales only, $8 or $5 if you’re a Fringe Adict or one of the first fifteen through the door!
Visit the show on Facebook. http://tinyurl.com/noidea-backon
More sympathy than laughter
Review by Michael Wray 01st Mar 2010
Originally cancelled when their Oriental Bay Band Rotunda venue was closed by the council for urgent flood-related repairs, No Idea has managed to pick up an early evening slot at The Fringe Bar. Unfortunately, the publicity for the show’s resurrection does not seem to have been widely circulated.
A mere six audience members turned up, who soon became four when two left early. To their credit, the No Idea cast soldiered on and presented their show anyway. It’s an improv show, in the style of Whose Line is it Anyway, with around 10 individual rounds in differing formats.
The theme is magazines such as Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and, of course, New Idea. There are six performers, who I can’t name due to the absence of a programme, controlled by an editor.
The performers alternate, participating in some rounds and sitting out others, depending on the number of staff required by the editor.
The editor is also responsible for drawing ideas from the audience. With such a small audience, this becomes an increasing challenge. It only takes a few rounds for the audience to withdraw somewhat, running out of suggestions or feeling shy, making the editor’s job quite difficult. To compensate, she introduces her own ideas or takes some from the performers who are sitting out a round.
The early rounds prove to be the most entertaining, with the highlight being a Prince Charles visit to Motueka and a running gag on the quality of the South Island town.
As the rounds progressed and audience input became sporadic, the enthusiasm of all the performers seemed to pall. A final round involving John Campbell did produce a good impression, but finding a joke seemed to be beyond the cast.
While they could have benefited from the editor being a little more ruthless in terminating rounds that were floundering, it is very difficult to judge the talent of the team. Being the majority of the room’s occupants killed any buzz or rapport the artists could have developed and instead of laughter, the overall mood generated from the audience was sympathy.
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