Alice Fraser @ The Niche At The Producers, Adelaide 18/3/2018
Alice Fraser – intelligent, sassy, beautiful and interesting. But her ethos needs work. I like Alice Fraser, I think she’s a mesmerizingly charming character – and she can belt out a tune. Unfortunately, her concept for the Adelaide Fringe did not exhibit much of her potential.
A comedy show trying to explain the meaning of comedic life to an artificial intelligence aka a golem, became a lecture in philosophy, the #metoo movement and an introduction to Judaism. Alice was uneasy in her delivery, made worse by her constantly referring to notes on a kindle. The banter between herself and the golem was reminiscent of the wooden scripted dialogue between Dexter and the host on Perfect Match in the 80s.
It’s clear Ms Fraser is a very intelligent woman; her wit is quick and her jokes came flying at us like sand on a wind-swept beach. Unfortunately, some of them stung and some of them went right over our heads. But the biggest tragedy of the whole evening was the man in the front row who was hell-bent on whipping out an extended raucous laugh at even the hint of a joke, coughing loudly and all-in-all being the worst possible audience member. Alice handled the man with aplomb and dignity, whereas I was close to calling security and/or leaving. I can’t help but think the man was planted there by someone with a grudge against this lovely comedian. Bonus points to Alice Fraser for handling this gentleman with her own spirit and ethos in the face of such adversity.
Fringe Review by Kim Burley