IN CANBERRA TONIGHT IN ADELAIDE TONIGHT

Those not sure which of the many Fringe shows they should see first, or those on a budget looking for a “greatest hits” sampler of Fringe acts, might want to check out this amiable variety show hosted by affable Canberra-based funnymen Chris Endrey and Pablo Latona, backed up by music from the considerably talented House Rats.

Each night serves to highlight a completely different set of Fringe Performers, who present a brief excerpt from their show and are roped into some onstage fun and games. The performance I attended featured some lively, and very racy song and dance routines from Russian puppeteers Boris & Sergey. Later on, Aussie circus duo Cirque Du Bloke came onstage to engage the audience in a Pictionary style game in which the crowd had to guess the title of their show and then treated everyone to a daring display of acrobatics. Not content merely to announce each act, Latona stepped up to perform some pretty startling stunts himself.

Thursday’s celebrity guest was TV chef, Poh ling Yeow, who was a good sport as Endrey asked her cheeky questions about her pre-fame life and challenged her to guess the ingredients from one of her recipes that were included in a smoothie prepared onstage.

Subsequent performances will feature appearances by writer Clementine Ford, SBS Chief Political Correspondent Karen Middleton , dancer Simone Page-Jones and bluegrass outfit, Mustered Courage, among others.  If Thursday night’s show is anything to go by, they’ll be a blast.

Benjamin Orchard