REVIEW - A SUNBURNT HISTORY: CITIZENSHIP

A SUNBURNT HISTORY: CITIZENSHIP

TRADES HALL, UNTIL APRIL 06, 2014.

A sure-fire recipe for comedy magic made from soil, sweat, and sheer chutzpah!  

Stars: 4.

By: Joe Calleri.

CHARLIE RANGER (L), NICK WAXMAN (R) - IMAGE SUPPLIED

Wanna see two, young, hard-working Aussie comedians shoe-horn 226 years of Australian history into one tightly scripted, high energy, and highly entertaining, sweat-soaked hour?

Then go see Charlie Ranger’s and Nick Waxman’s production, A Sunburnt History: Citizenship.

These guys easily earn their 4-star rating for accomplishing comedy’s equivalent of climbing Mount Everest in an hour.

Part satirical history lesson, part reflection piece, these two blokes impressively and hilariously re-enact some important persons and events from Australia’s relatively short history.

This show is a welcome break from the self-absorbed rantings of most modern stand-ups.

After a beautifully written introduction containing only words ending in “ation” (nation, elucidation, eradication, etc), the duo enthusiastically put their personal spin on events including John Batman trying to acquire tracts of land from the native indigenous owners with mere trinkets, and the hero worship of the Eureka Stockade’s Peter Lalor.

Discussions regarding the absurdist White Australia Policy, all too pervasive racism, ridiculous border security policies, the risks presented by “boat people”, and how badly we continue to treat our indigenous population, made me pause and wonder once more whether as a nation we have advanced in our attitudes as far as we believe.

Some of the show’s many highlights include a hilarious cameo from our esteemed Prime Minister Abbott (clad only in little red Speedos), and the lovely Brynne Edelsten (compete with visible g-string, and 5 o’clock shadow) hosting the Dictation Test Challenge. Warning: it’s not as easy as it looks.

Readers, in my view, Charlie and Nick represent the exciting next wave of Australian comedy. They deserve your patronage during the 2014 Comedy Festival.