fringe: trash test dummies

This is my second time seeing Trash Test Dummies, and after the sparseness of the crowd last time, it was good to see them playing to a packed house, and in the Garden this time.

And a house that was half full of kids having the time of their lives (especially the really little Batman dude who was sitting across the aisle from us and was having THE best time ever).

It's an incredibly family friendly show, and the fact this was a more intimate (ie smaller) venue made the connection between the audience and performers even better.

Melbourne trio Jamie Bretman, Jack Coleman and Simon Wright are all back again, and I still can't help thinking of them as the veteran, the joker and the apprentice.

If I had to chose one word for Trash Test, it's energy... high energy specifically (but that's two words). From the moment they start they spend the whole show dashing to and fro, doing pratfalls, hiding in bins and speaking in their own language consisting mostly of noises and the occasional word. This is The Three Stooges minus the cruelty, mime with a lot of noise... it's pure circus clown with some great juggling thrown in, and it's wonderful.

One of the great things about the show is how well they work the tricks into the body of the show. A lot of the tricks, while not looking overly complicated, would be difficult to make look THAT effortless.

They are also one of the best shows for just that perfect use of music... it may only be a snippet, but they use it perfectly and it's always designed to make you laugh (also I think it's one of the things they work in for the parents to enjoy, since I'm guessing a lot of them would go right over kids heads)... from Chariots of Fire to The Matrix, from the Batman theme to Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie (which both I and every kid in the audience thoroughly appreciated)... it's just spot on for what they're doing at that moment.

The other place they set themselves apart and really shine is the use of those wheelie bins... they're big, unwieldy props, and yet they never seem to to out of their control (even when the audience is mere inches away).

And Jamie, Jack and Simon are as adorable as ever and have great timing, both acrobatically and comically.

Do yourself a favour, whether you have kids or not, go and see them, you'll have a damn good time... and buy a little neon wheelie bin at the end of the show, I bought a bright pink one to hold my pens on my desk at work.

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