On the case with Dirk Darrow
Part comedian, part mentalist, part magician, part storyteller, and all gritty retro 1930s film noir! Described as Boardwalk Empire meets Naked Gun meets Derren Brown, and based on a story by Dashiell Hammett, 2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick: A Dirk Darrow Investigation comes to Fringe World this summer, hitting Brass Monkey Hotel from Friday, January 19, to Sunday, February 4, with tickets on sale now. BEC WELDON spoke to the show’s creator and star Tim Motley to investigate.
Dirk Darrow returns for Fringe World 2024! What’s changed for Dirk, or Tim, since we last saw them in 2023?
It’s been non-stop shows for all of 2023. I think it’s the most I’ve ever worked.
I’ve been doing a whole lot of family-friendly shows, so it’ll be a relief to let loose with this old gem for an adult audience again.
What can new and returning audiences expect from this year’s show?
New audiences can expect a noir-themed silly adult comedy mind-reading crime story. This is the Fringe show I’ve performed the most, probably at least a thousand shows, so it’s very run-in and slick by now.
This’ll be the first Dirk Darrow show I’ve done in a year and a half and the first showing of 2 Ruby Knockers in two years. So, I’m looking forward to slipping back into that film noir drawl. Dirk Darrow’s not just a gumshoe; he’s like an old, comfy gumshoe for me, as it’s the character that I’ve done the most and is the easiest fit for me.
Dirk Darrow has graced many a Fringe festival stage; what’s been some memorable moments from your time performing around the world?
Well, there were two times the electricity went out, and I did the second half of the show in the dark, in both Perth and Adelaide Fringes! There was the time in Dublin when an English heckler got beaten up in my show by two protective Irish footballers. There was the time in Sydney I got sucker punched by a random drunk while tied up in a straight jacket. There was the time in San Diego I saw another magician whose every trick went wrong and whose entire set then collapsed on him (laughs). But I think the prize goes to the time I told a Canadian immigration officer I was entering as a tourist, and she told me she knew I was there to work because she’d seen my show last year as she was studying to become a detective. We wound up dating for a while, LOL.
Where have Dirk Darrow and your other range of characters taken you? Are there any places that stand out?
I’ve been to 50 countries performing around the world, which I realise sounds fake as it’s a suspiciously round number, so I’m looking forward to 51. Slovenia, northern Norway, and the Canadian Rockies were particularly beautiful. But of course, nothing beats Perth, WA!
Mentalism is a pretty unique skill. How long have you been training to perform mentalism on stage?
Funny story. I’ve been doing magic since I was 11 and have always been fascinated by the workings of the human mind, hence my philosophy degree. But it wasn’t until I started doing Dirk Darrow as a cabaret piece in 2009 that I really started to focus on mentalism, as I thought it was such a good fit for the character. The psychic detective is a well-known trope in film and TV. Once I started, I really got sucked in, and I did a deep dive. I’m still learning new techniques to this day.
What drew you to the 1930s aesthetic and themes of the show?
Aside from the glamour and the grittiness? Dirk Darrow started out as a character in a local cabaret in Melbourne, to justify the use of some 1930s props for a magic trick I was doing at the time. The act was an instant hit with cabaret audiences. I soon realised it’s success was more about my take on the aesthetic than the trick itself. Also, I love those long run-on metaphors that seem so iconic of film noir, even though in reality they were rather specific to the works of Raymond Chandler.
What inspires you to create the stories for your Dirk Darrow shows?
Honestly, I’ve never had a problem in that area. I’ve always had way more story ideas than time and energy to write and produce them. With each Dirk show, I’ve tried to not only present a new ‘case’ for the eponymous detective, but also attack the genre from a different angle. Dirk 1 was poking fun at film noir, Dirk 2 (this one) was dramatising an old Dashiell Hammett story, Dirk 3 focused on the spectacle of larger stage mentalism, Dirk 4 introduced four more new characters and rap magic, and Dirk 5 delved into sci-fi noir, like Blade Runner.
What’s next for Dirk and Tim in 2024?
I’ve had almost no time off in 2023, and 2024 looks to be similar. There are lots of festivals, cruise ship gigs, and exotic destinations. I have no concrete plans for Dirk this year (though I might do Dirk 5 in a couple of Canadian festivals), but it’s a very full year for me. After Perth, I’m doing full runs of my new show Barry Potter at Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Fest, then straight over to American and Canadian festivals for more of the same. And then ship gigs and other gigs, and on and on…