Frankenstein without pants: This may be the show you didn't know you needed
All without wearing pants.
Starr believes penguins wrote Classic Penguins, so naturally he dresses for the part, wearing just an Elizabethan ruffle, top hat, jacket and flippers.
In the show, which won top prize at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Starr acts out the titles of classics including Frankenstein, The Wind in The Willows and Gulliver's Travels.
Part of the fun of the show is guessing which book the oblivious but enthusiastic Starr is recreating. There are silly puns, physical comedy, plenty of audience interaction – he selects someone to pelt him with grapes in homage to a certain John Steinbeck classic – and even crowd-surfing.
Warren-Smith, 43, only includes willing audience members in his show but says the best participants are those 'who are a little bit hesitant'.
'If they're too confident, the audience questions if they're a plant. But when someone is a little bit uncomfortable to get up there, I honestly believe that everyone comes out succeeding. A lot of people have said to me, 'I was terrified of audience participation. But I'm not after seeing that; it felt so safe'.
'The volunteers are not the butt of the joke; it's always me who ends up looking ridiculous.
'In a world outside [of a clown show], no absolutely means no. In a theatre, no doesn't always mean no because the person who first goes 'no' is probably going to get the most out of it, and the audience is going to love them more than anyone else.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Frankenstein without pants: This may be the show you didn't know you needed
In Classic Penguins, Garry Starr – the alter-ego of clown and actor Damien Warren-Smith – is trying to save the world of literature. All without wearing pants. Starr believes penguins wrote Classic Penguins, so naturally he dresses for the part, wearing just an Elizabethan ruffle, top hat, jacket and flippers. In the show, which won top prize at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Starr acts out the titles of classics including Frankenstein, The Wind in The Willows and Gulliver's Travels. Part of the fun of the show is guessing which book the oblivious but enthusiastic Starr is recreating. There are silly puns, physical comedy, plenty of audience interaction – he selects someone to pelt him with grapes in homage to a certain John Steinbeck classic – and even crowd-surfing. Warren-Smith, 43, only includes willing audience members in his show but says the best participants are those 'who are a little bit hesitant'. 'If they're too confident, the audience questions if they're a plant. But when someone is a little bit uncomfortable to get up there, I honestly believe that everyone comes out succeeding. A lot of people have said to me, 'I was terrified of audience participation. But I'm not after seeing that; it felt so safe'. 'The volunteers are not the butt of the joke; it's always me who ends up looking ridiculous. 'In a world outside [of a clown show], no absolutely means no. In a theatre, no doesn't always mean no because the person who first goes 'no' is probably going to get the most out of it, and the audience is going to love them more than anyone else.'
The Age
4 days ago
- The Age
Frankenstein without pants: This may be the show you didn't know you needed
In Classic Penguins, Garry Starr – the alter-ego of clown and actor Damien Warren-Smith – is trying to save the world of literature. All without wearing pants. Starr believes penguins wrote Classic Penguins, so naturally he dresses for the part, wearing just an Elizabethan ruffle, top hat, jacket and flippers. In the show, which won top prize at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Starr acts out the titles of classics including Frankenstein, The Wind in The Willows and Gulliver's Travels. Part of the fun of the show is guessing which book the oblivious but enthusiastic Starr is recreating. There are silly puns, physical comedy, plenty of audience interaction – he selects someone to pelt him with grapes in homage to a certain John Steinbeck classic – and even crowd-surfing. Warren-Smith, 43, only includes willing audience members in his show but says the best participants are those 'who are a little bit hesitant'. 'If they're too confident, the audience questions if they're a plant. But when someone is a little bit uncomfortable to get up there, I honestly believe that everyone comes out succeeding. A lot of people have said to me, 'I was terrified of audience participation. But I'm not after seeing that; it felt so safe'. 'The volunteers are not the butt of the joke; it's always me who ends up looking ridiculous. 'In a world outside [of a clown show], no absolutely means no. In a theatre, no doesn't always mean no because the person who first goes 'no' is probably going to get the most out of it, and the audience is going to love them more than anyone else.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I'm super-cute': Comedian Urzila Carlson's struggle to stay single
This story is part of the July 26 edition of Good Weekend. See all 15 stories. Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week he speaks to Urzila Carlson. The South African-New Zealander comedian and actor, 49, became the highest-selling act in the history of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2019. She co-stars in the Netflix movie Kinda Pregnant. SEX Urzila, you've landed on 'Sex'. Sex! I've had it. Deal with it. [ Laughs ] What's the first thing that comes to mind? [ Groans ] At this point, it feels like admin. I'd rather read a book, have some melatonin and an early night. Can we both just masturbate [separately] and come to bed early? By the time you've fed the kids, looked after the house, pets and f--- knows what else, who's got the energy for it? I can't be f---ed with f---ing. You're a queer icon now, but what was the coming-out process like for you? I didn't really prioritise it, but I was nervous about what would happen in my community. I was living in South Africa and it's a lot more conservative there: they don't even take kindly to premarital sex, let alone coming out. I came out at 26, which I didn't think was late back then, but now it is: kids are much more comfortable. Anyway, I'm a big believer in [sexuality] being fluid. I understand why the alphabet [LGBTIQA+] keeps growing. You're single right now. Are you currently looking? I'm definitely not looking. I'm the opposite. I'm hyper-focused on staying single and not partnering up. Which is really hard: I'm super-cute. DEATH Is it true that early on in your childhood, your father – who was an alcoholic – came looking for you and your family, armed with a gun? Yes, my father was a very violent, aggressive drunk. Now when I look back on it, he obviously had post-traumatic stress disorder from the Angolan War [a 1975-2002 civil war in which South African forces were at times involved]. But he needed therapy for that: he doesn't get to take that out on his family. But my mum never shit-talked him – ever. That's important. My wife and I got a divorce a few years ago, and I said to her, 'I'll never fight with you.' And we're still best friends. You choose to have a family together, you need to keep your shit together. When people keep fighting after they've split up, I'm like, 'Why are you still fighting this person? You got what you wanted. You're alone now. You're rid of them. Now's your time to be happy.' The fighting should have happened while you were with them. Who was the last person you lost whose death really affected you? It was a friend who passed away a couple of years ago. We used to work together; I met her when I was 18. I gave the eulogy at her funeral the same day I recorded a special on YouTube. I don't even promote that special. It was such a dark day and I was just mentally and physically exhausted. I should have cancelled it. I thought it would be all right, but it wasn't.
