FRINGEWORLD: The Ballad of Frank Allen (5 stars)

by

Review by Elli Gemmo

Is there anything strange about a janitor who is cleaning a scientific laboratory after all the experiments of the day have been done and all the scientists gone home for the night? Is there anything particularly weird if this dorky janitor ends up activating, while cleaning, a miniaturising machine that will allow him to sit inside another man’s beard? Well yes there is.

The Ballad of Frank Allen is a genial, hilarious show where every moment of the story is so unpredictable that you can’t really figure out what is going on and makes you feel like the time spent inside the Blue Room Theatre is flying.

Frank Allen, the janitor ends up living in another man’s beard – following his daily routine, love problems, job switching and helping him with a “gentle” pull of the beard whenever needed. Both of them seem to be a bit confused and clueless about their lives. Strange enough, they can hear each other only when both of them are completely drunk. This fortunate “house sharing” leads the two to the quirkiest and funniest situations and eventually to a better understanding of themselves. Is Frank going to be able to go back to his own life and size? The scientists at the laboratory noticed something strange and are now looking for a man with a talking beard…

Both characters are so playful and full of good old school humor. There are occasional sketches with live indie music that complete the picture of a well designed comedy.

The Ballad of Frank Allen is original, clever and enjoyable and a must see in FRINGEWORLD.

When: 16 – 20 February 2016 (7:30pm)

Where: The Blue Room Theatre, Studio, PERTH

Tickets: $22 – $25

Info: Duration 55 minutes, Suitable 15+

Links:

Fringeworld – https://fringeworld.com.au/program/event/7ab0e146-919a-479f-a896-31094610fabe/

Blue Room – https://blueroom.org.au/events/the-ballad-of-frank-allen/