A Tale of Two Scaredies is the latest show from one of Australia’s much loved comedy duo’s, The Scared Weird Little Guys.The title, A Tale of Two Scaredies, is a reference to the TV crime series Underbelly, and The Scaredies open their show with a typically topical song pointing out that what is to follow, is less about sex and drugs and more about comedy rock n’ roll.
The first part of the show takes the form of a power point presentation in which The Scaredies walk us through a potted history of the band. Childhood pics and bad haircuts dominate, while John Chaplin-Fleming (the tall one) and Rusty Berther (the small one), narrate their respective stories.
We learn of their first meeting in Four Chairs No Waiting, a Barber-shop quartet (perhaps not surprising given the two men’s gift for harmonies) whose main claim to fame appears to have been an extended gig at Expo ‘88. Rusty and John eventually join up with well known a cappella band The Phones and when that group broke up in 1990, the two men formed The Scared Weird Little Guys. The rest as they say is history, and The Scaredies have gone on to become one of the most loved and successful comedy duo’s in recent memory. This show explains some of the Guy’s early influences and history, such as how they got their name, as well as some highlights from their almost 20-year career together.
Where The Scaredies truly excel is in their music – and there’s a fair amount of it in this show. It includes a song from their very first writing session; a human piano number with the help of members of the audience; a typewriter sequence from their Symphony Tour; and the crowd favourite - Stump The Scaredies - where the audience are invited to submit two song titles. With their encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music and lyrics, The Scaredies instantly proceed to sing one song to the tune of the other. The results are often hilarious and surprising.
But in spite of some genuinely funny moments, unfortunately the rest of the performance lacked the energy and polish of their original lyrics and harmonies. A Tale of Two Scaredies feels like a sort of clip show in which highlights from earlier performances are simply rehashed, to create a new show. At times the banter between the two men, particularly early on, felt uncertain, and the use of a power point presentation is a well-worn theatrical cliché, that to work nowadays either needs to be really really good, or really really bad. What we actually got was neither. The typewriter sequence for me went on too long, while Stump The Scaredies could happily have gone on longer.
For fans of The Scaredies, you might enjoy reliving some of their career highlights and may in fact gain some interesting snippets to fill in your knowledge of their backstory. And while there’s no doubting these are two very accomplished musicians and likeable stage performers, overall A Tale of Two Scaredies is a little rough round the edges.
Scared Weird Little Guys
A Tale of Two Scaredies
Venue: Manchester Lane | Off Flinders Lane (btw Swanston & Elizabeth Sts), Melbourne (Licensed venue. Under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian)
Dates: 10 - 22 April
Times: 10-12, 19 & 22 7.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: Full $23, Concession $20. Dinner and Show $70
Bookings: 9663 0630 | at the door