Felicity Ward Reads from the Book of Moron
Felicity Ward is by far one of the most charming women on stage, which is odd seeing as her show Felicity Ward Reads from The Book of Moron is a selection of stories about how much of a ‘moron’ she is.
MELBOURNE FRINGE 2009
?Festival Hub, North Melbourne Town Hall
?Laughing Stock?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Felicity Ward is by far one of the most charming women on stage, which is odd seeing as her show Felicity Ward Reads from The Book of Moron is a selection of stories about how much of a ‘moron’ she is.
Joining Ward on stage is her dubiously faithful canine companion Dan Akroyd, played by fellow comedian David Quirk. The show begins with Ward handing out two sets of numbers to two different audience members. Each number corresponds to a different story and backing track. The audience members then pick a number at random and Ward reads the corresponding story while Dan Akroyd plays the backing track. In between tales, Dan Akroyd and Ward engage in affable banter that breaks up the rhythm nicely.
Of the four stories Ward read on the night (there were eight to choose from) two were hilarious. The highlight was a story about her childhood struggles with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is where Ward confuses me. How can a woman be talking about producing a fart so vile that someone vomited and still make you want to take them home to your mother?
Some stories, however, didn’t hit the mark quite as much. One anecdote about Ward’s visit to a play reading was peppered with great one liners but as a whole just wasn’t as entertaining or as well told as the others. But maybe this was because the audience had just been in stiches for a full fifteen minutes because it was paling in comparison the last story.
In a space so small that the audience really didn’t need to be actively involved to feel connected to the performer and her sho, perhaps it would have been better for Ward to decided on her four best stories and save her best material until last.
Having said that, I’m fairly certain that this show will continue to make me smile for a quite a while.
Season Closed.
