KADS One Act Comedy Festival

KADS is a company that loves its comedy - one of its major club awards is for the best comic performance, so it is perhaps unsurprising that they have created a one act play evening devoted to comic plays. Four shows, by two local authors, combined for an evening that had its audience rolling with laughter.

Touched by the Hand, written and directed by Johnny Grimshaw, is set in a pub in Ireland, where petty thief Eamon Doherty reveals that he has found God. Some lovely Irish accents in this slice of life comedy, as Alan Gill as Eamon explains his enlightenment, with gorgeous facial expressions, to his sceptical mate Colin, played by Willy Smeets.

No Strings Attached played at a DramaFest some years ago, and this incarnation is also delightful. Another Johnny Grimshaw play, it is directed by Peter Nettleton, and is the story of fairground marionettes discussing their fading popularity after the crowds have departed. A lovely pairing of veteran performer Tim Prosser with relative newcomer Davis McCann, it has lovely nuance, and while the characters may be made of timber, the performances were never wooden. Gorgeous make-up work added to the charm of this unusual tale.

Kurkevation, written and directed by James Forte, is said to have its genesis in Perth’s Hollywood High’s 1960 Drama class, when the author discovered his love for writing. The cohort at Hollywood included many familiar to Perth community theatre audiences, and Kurkevation was inspired by student comedienne Marjorie De Caux. Other former Hollywood High students, Paul Anderson and Karin Staflund, form the cast of the show. Perhaps as a result of their long history, the two have a lovely camaraderie of adversity in this unusual comedy set on stage at a writer’s festival. Well created, very diverse characters keep the audience involved.

James Forte’s The Mechanic of Venice takes a fresh look at Portia from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, as she works with servants Nervosa and Giovanni to outwit a succession of unwanted suitors and to arrange her own arranged marriage. Harriet Lobegeiger creates a clever Portia, working cohesively with Vee McGuire as Nervosa and David Gribble as Giovanni as they create a series of cons. Gabe O’Sulivan is dynamic as Bassanio, Portia’s suitor of choice, while Jonathan Hoey plays a plethora of different but ghastly suitors, creating many distinct characters.

I have rarely been in an audience that laughed so much, with all four shows being warmly received. Well done on such a successful season.

Kimberley Shaw