6 Dick Tricks: A Dirk Darrow Investigation @ The Black Flamingo, Yagan Square
Friday, January 25, 2019
How does a 1940s kind of guy find himself pounding the streets of Perth in 2019? For this gumshoe it all started with a case, one that’s going to require all the tricks that a psychic detective can muster. Fortunately Dirk Darrow is all the dick (slang for detective… c’mon…) required.
A combination of magic tricks, innuendo, comedic banter, tongue twisting hard boiled fiction, and a bit of unexpected voguing, 6 Dick Tricks: A Dirk Darrow Investigation launches audiences into the world of detective Dirk Darrow. Part Raymond Chandler, part Chandler Bing, Darrow pounds the mean streets of live comedy and audience participation with practised ease.
Broken chairs, wise-cracking participants, and audience members that can’t remember their instructions, all leave Darrow unphased. Those problems roll off him like a cold and uncaring, hard and bitter rain rolling off of a PI’s bourbon stained trenchcoat.
It really is that showmanship that makes Darrow the consummate dick he is. The tricks are classic magic tricks, but sold with a flair and comic timing that delivers a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Combined with the clever writing of the narrative (along with the occasional deliberate comedic clunker, just to keep things lively), Darrow’s film noir inspired world comes to grainy black and white life, as comedian/mentalist Tim Motley shows an understanding and love for the tropes and form of the genre.
So sit back in some chiaroscuro lighting, pour yourself a shot of your best cheap bourbon, and relax. Dirk Darrow is on the case.
DAVID O’CONNELL
