Breakfast Bedlam, Live!
Attention Please Productions
Smirnoff Underbelly, August 6-27 (not 16)
***
Like a ‘World’s Worst’ game on Who’s Line Is It Anyway, this troupe of seven present an array of what could possibly go wrong in a Saturday morning kids TV scenario.

A variety of mishaps litter this skit based show as the telly format descends into catastrophe. The team fly through many characters in this hit and miss comedy, from the presenters of their Ukrainian sister show to the camp make-up artists behind the scenes.

Many great gags and comments are directed at the culture and process of kids TV creation. Particular highlights include the selective promotion of Steve, the presenter’s dubious agent, and the positively distracting airhead blonde Donna, with her equally distracting selection of costumes.

Like a Star Wars movie, this show seems to revolve around the droids, they being the angered but endearing floor manager and her hapless new runner who suffers increasingly confusing offstage injuries. The two welcome the ‘kids’ in the audience provide the glue, the attraction, and the potential of this show that doesn’t quite hit the mark.

The piece gathers pace and enthusiasm as it progresses and despite a weak and confused closure, a true crowd pleaser and highlight of the show is the guest appearance of Nazi boy band Auschwitz Acht and their anti-semitic pop. Good fun with great potential.

by Ian Phillips