THE SILLY HAT SAUSAGE SIZZLE SPECTACULAR BIRTHDAY BASH BONANZA EXTRAVAGANZA
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
04/03/2013 - 06/03/2013
Production Details
IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY AND EVERYONE’S INVITED!
Come along to a birthday bash on the 4th (5th and even 6th of March) like no other – bring a silly hat and a get a sausage in ya. Prepare to compete for prizes, play some games and have a good sing song sing-along in this risqué cabaret noir. Brimming with dance, puppetry and character comedy, Bazza and Dazza will lead you through their dark and surreal world where bad taste runs supreme.
Drawing on outrageous drag, cute puppets and gob-smackingly close to the bone humour, this frightfully original comedy show is full of quick changes, audience participation and a hair-raising Thai ping-pong experience…
Bazza and Dazza are a pair of unlikely ginger misfits, and bring you a madcap hour of fun to celebrate their birthdays in style. Homemade puppets will serenade you, crazy characters will flaunt their stuff and with glitter, sequins and hidden secrets, this is a Fringe experience not to be missed.
Daryl Wrightson is well known for his unique character comedy, performing in scores of festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe and the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, where he won the Best Newcomer Award in 2006. Dazza has appeared in several productions produced by the Auckland Theatre Company, including ‘Fitz Bunny’, ‘Cow’ and ‘Checkout Chicks’ (to which he was also assistant director) all performed at the Basement. In 2008 he was appointed as Performing Arts Director for The Nathan Homestead Performing Arts (Auckland City Council) and has also worked within schools as a Drama Tutor and Production Director.
Benjamin Henson trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London, whilst directing productions for the London fringe and cabaret circuit. Having directed productions in Germany and France, Ben has recently moved to Auckland to continue his directing career. Benjamin’s NZ credits include a sell-out production of The Turn of the Screw, Auckland Fringe 2011; Death by Cheerleader, Basement + Bats 2011; Donkey Skin, Short&Sweet 2011; Should We Stay or Should We Go? , Wellington Fringe 2012; Confessions, an NZ Fringe award winning production in Wellington this year. He has assisted Jackie Van Beek and Hera Dunleavy, and has worked on the ATC’s Next Stage seasons under Raymond Hawthorne and Sara Brodie.
This will be Bazza and Dazza’s first comedy adventure together and promises to be a sure Fringe favourite.
Auckland Fringe runs from 15 February to 10 March 2013. For more Auckland Fringe information go to www.aucklandfringe.co.nz
THE SILLY HAT SAUSAGE SIZZLE SPECTACULAR BIRTHDAY BASH BONANZA EXTRAVAGANZA plays
4th – 6th March, 8:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Venue: The Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Avenue, Auckland CBD
Tickets: Full $20 / Concessions $16
Bookings: iTicket – www.iticket.co.nz or 09 361 1000
1 hr
Brutally good masterful cabaret noir
Review by Jan-Maree Franicevic 05th Mar 2013
Imagine never having had a birthday. Imagine adopting a foster child and him never having a birthday either (simply because you have never had one so you wouldn’t know where to start). Therein lies the dilemma for Dame Ginger and Sausie. And so this spectacular begins.
Actually, the good time starts at the door: Showgirls offering shots of liqueur, and a party whistle for everyone. Sequins twinkle from the simple stage dressings. Upon opening, a number of cocktail sausages and fizzy wines are offered up to us, as we are invited to indulge in a birthday party. By the time we are offered the chance to partake in their party placebos my face is already sore from smiling.
The brainchild of local lad Daryl Wrightson and UK import Bejamin Henson, Silly Hat Sausage Sizzle chronicles the hallucination of an old showbiz queen and his foster child as they tune in, turn on and drop out into a surreal world of song and dance, clowning, puppetry, drag and some of the most interesting characters I have ever met!
The choreography is exceptional and flawlessly executed; I am always impressed when an ensemble doesn’t miss a beat. The costuming is simple, inventive and stunning, as are the many ways the boys find to quickly change; one in particular that had me wondering if they were able to see in the dark. The narrative throughout is also seamless: Ginger has “daddy” issues and the soaring ego of a man addled by the entertainment industry. What ensues is magical.
There is so much to love about this show that I feel it’s almost impossible to go into any detail as I wish for you to see it with as much surprise and wonderment as I did. Very real, raw and risqué, there are parts of the show that are not for the faint hearted. I swear at some stage last night I felt Whitney Houston turn in her grave… or was she chuckling along with the rest of us?
This is Wrightson and Henson’s first collaboration and there’s no doubting that they get it 100% right. So often this kind of mad-cap misses the mark and is more disaster than it is divine. Not this time. The Silly Hat Sausage Sizzle Spectacular Birthday Bash Bonanza Extravaganza is bang on the money and if you have $20 spare then you are well advised to invest it in this fantasy filled hour of brutally good, masterful cabaret noir. Bravo!
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