Review: Tuck Shop at Ice Cream Factory
Tuck Shop at Ice Cream Factory
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Tone & Cheek Productions, staples of the Fringe World Perth scene, returned to the festival stage with the Fringe debut of their newest show, Tuck Shop.
Laden with exciting bangers from throughout the ages, blockbuster lighting and visuals, and pyrotechnics, Tuck Shop was an audiovisual success. Offering a transportation back to a time of acceptance and liberation; a state of mind, a safe space, and a sense of chosen family, the atmosphere of the evening was that of pride, celebration, and unapologetic self-expression.
Featuring a returning cast of fan-favourite troupe members, as well as some new, talented local and interstate additions to the colourful crew, the company once again delivered a high-octane show of circus, drag, burlesque, and live vocals, with considerable variety and spectacle.
Drag royalty Cougar Morrison and Fay Rocious united their unique and individual MC styles to co-host the evening.
Choreographer and Producer Nat Oakes shone as usual, bringing their high quality and visually spellbinding stage presence and choreography to the stage, delivering electrifying group numbers and a high-octane aerial stunt solo.
Aerial performers Matthew Pope, Melina Mall, and Liam Dummer were equally and individually phenomenal, respectively, on trapeze, fly pole and straps. Pope’s comedic timing and unfettered commitment to the bit, Mall’s breathtaking grace and movement, and Drummer’s skill were exceptional.
Veruca Sour was a new addition to the company for Tuck Shop, bringing their charmingly disarming brand of burlesque and physical theatre-infused humour and adding an enjoyable ‘silliness’ to the cast. Dale Woodbridge-Brown, while absent from the group moments, was captivating and, for some, gag-inducing, with a fantastic side-show act packed with flair and guttural gasps from audience members.
Drummer Adrian Tranchita was an exciting new addition to the team, bringing a rock element to the show that elevated the musical moments and perfectly accompanied vocalist Ellie Foster.
Unfortunately, seat arrangements along the sides of the stage were not well positioned for the audio-mixing, meaning that Foster’s sensational vocalisations were often washed out, and inaudible above the music. Likewise the MC speeches. However, when audible, Foster’s voice and renditions of beloved songs were exceptional.
As an aside from the praise that the show and the cast strongly deserve, it must be said that Tuck Shop lacked the thematic cohesion and complexity of storytelling that made previous shows Club D’amour and Happy Endings critically successful. A strong opening number introducing the cast as characters in a lively and humorous diner setting, vying for Employee of the Month, set a tone and context that was seemingly forgotten soon after.
MC interludes, previously executed excellently by the company to contextualise acts and move the story along, bringing humour and cohesion, lacked direction and relevance. Where Fringe royalty Cougar Morrison and Fay Rocious should have shone as the exceptional MCs they are, they were overburdened, both with drawn-out ‘feuding’ skits that relied unsuccessfully on audience investment in a theme that wasn’t strong enough and a resulting reliance on overtly lewd, and oftentimes random ‘bits’ to compensate. Granted, the audience was lukewarm at best, not an ideal crowd to wrangle.
Likewise, the individual acts lacked a strong connection to the show’s theme, something that could have been built in MC interludes. This resulting sense of incohesion undermined the talent of the performers and the spectacle of each piece, as the audiences struggled to move within the story bounds. There was also a pacing issue exacerbated by a drawn-out delay between music during changeovers, though this may have been a technical issue.
Fans of Tone & Cheek Productions will still find immense enjoyment in the show and should jump at the opportunity to support exceptional local talent, with opportunities throughout the rest of the season to see the show.
LYNSEY LEES