A Modern Deception - “Live to Air”
20th April 2013
This was on at Comedy on Collins part of Candlelight Productions.
I note this because it was held in Scots’ Church Hall. Which was odd thing number one.
It's part of "clean comedy", which I think was the code word for kid friendly.
No bar, that was odd thing number two. There was a table selling drinks and chips but no bar. The first MICF venue I'd been to that didn't have a bar within 5 metres of the venue door.
Everyone who was there, the door staff etc who were there for Comedy on Collins were young and very earnest, it was quite odd.
There was something about the church hall that I found quite unnerving, I almost upped and left before the show started.
It was something about the height of the ceiling, the large industrial lights that were hanging from said ceiling and that it was lit very oddly.
Contrast to the Princess Theatre, also a large space with a high ceiling in places. It was properly lit when I saw Wil Anderson's show; all the lights down and drawing your attention in on the stage.
This wasn’t the case with the Scots’ Hall, or to give it its full name the The Scots' Church Assembly Hall Building.
It kinda felt like a school production, but not even that.
I've seen A Modern Deception for the past 2 years of the festival, first time at The Bull and Bear Tavern, second time was in a lecture theatre accessed from the side of the State LIbrary and now here in the Scots’ Church.
Both the previous venues I found suited them for how close you were to the stage; to be able to see the magical acts with the naked eye and for any audience interaction that was to go on.
In the previous venues there was an intimacy that you were watching something before you, while in this show in the Hall it seemed removed somewhat.
The theme, that of a morning TV show, while giving the show some structure didn’t suit the show very well. While the previous shows weren’t exactly formless, it seemed this structure imposed on the show was a little too forced.
I think ‘Magicians QC’ – Magicians who are also lawyers. A fictional show mentioned within the show that the trio were in (within the fictional universe of the morning TV show) would have been more interesting to see than this.
The magic on display was still fantastical and brilliant, but I was more wowed last year by some of their acts than this year.
They again, as with previous years utilised a video camera and screen, but this year it seemed a little more integral to the show because of the layout of the venue.
The format of a morning show seemed to be something they had decided on as a vehicle for the magic, but the combination of bad acting and forcing the morning show elements together into the show just did not allow the elements to gel together very well.
This was the first show of the festival I’d seen in consecutive years and seen it improve between the first and second year I saw it. But with this show, while I enjoyed myself I would say that I was somewhat disappointed by it as well.
20th April 2013
This was on at Comedy on Collins part of Candlelight Productions.
I note this because it was held in Scots’ Church Hall. Which was odd thing number one.
It's part of "clean comedy", which I think was the code word for kid friendly.
No bar, that was odd thing number two. There was a table selling drinks and chips but no bar. The first MICF venue I'd been to that didn't have a bar within 5 metres of the venue door.
Everyone who was there, the door staff etc who were there for Comedy on Collins were young and very earnest, it was quite odd.
There was something about the church hall that I found quite unnerving, I almost upped and left before the show started.
It was something about the height of the ceiling, the large industrial lights that were hanging from said ceiling and that it was lit very oddly.
Contrast to the Princess Theatre, also a large space with a high ceiling in places. It was properly lit when I saw Wil Anderson's show; all the lights down and drawing your attention in on the stage.
This wasn’t the case with the Scots’ Hall, or to give it its full name the The Scots' Church Assembly Hall Building.
It kinda felt like a school production, but not even that.
I've seen A Modern Deception for the past 2 years of the festival, first time at The Bull and Bear Tavern, second time was in a lecture theatre accessed from the side of the State LIbrary and now here in the Scots’ Church.
Both the previous venues I found suited them for how close you were to the stage; to be able to see the magical acts with the naked eye and for any audience interaction that was to go on.
In the previous venues there was an intimacy that you were watching something before you, while in this show in the Hall it seemed removed somewhat.
The theme, that of a morning TV show, while giving the show some structure didn’t suit the show very well. While the previous shows weren’t exactly formless, it seemed this structure imposed on the show was a little too forced.
I think ‘Magicians QC’ – Magicians who are also lawyers. A fictional show mentioned within the show that the trio were in (within the fictional universe of the morning TV show) would have been more interesting to see than this.
The magic on display was still fantastical and brilliant, but I was more wowed last year by some of their acts than this year.
They again, as with previous years utilised a video camera and screen, but this year it seemed a little more integral to the show because of the layout of the venue.
The format of a morning show seemed to be something they had decided on as a vehicle for the magic, but the combination of bad acting and forcing the morning show elements together into the show just did not allow the elements to gel together very well.
This was the first show of the festival I’d seen in consecutive years and seen it improve between the first and second year I saw it. But with this show, while I enjoyed myself I would say that I was somewhat disappointed by it as well.