05.04.2005
SWISS DUO'S WACKY ROLE |
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05.04.2005
SWISS DUO'S WACKY ROLE
Herald Sun, April 3, 2005
comedyfestival
SWISS DUO'S WACKY ROLE
Swiss comics Urssus & Nadeschkin are out to make slapstick trendy again, as PAUL STEWARD repords:
It is the comedy festival show that rises a chuckle with it's title alone - Syncronised Swimming - The Dry Version.
The production is presented by Switzerland's most celebrated comic duo, Ursus & Nadeschkin, and proves the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is exactly that - international.
The two veteran Swiss comics started as street buskers more than 18 years and 2000 performances ago.
They are now among their country's most popular performers. They appear regularly on television shows and at festivals throughout Europe.
The duo made a big name for themselves when they spent 2002 working closely with the Swiss National Circus.
The pair performed a staggering 257 times in a row for a nightly audience of 2500.
Ursus & Nadeschkin are also starting to make a name for themselves in the US, where New York's Village Voice newspaper described them as «the European Marx Brothers»
Critics claim the pair are impossible to describe. Their spontaneity on stage is a feature of their act. The pair claim each performance is «fresh and unique» and peppered with improvisations.
Nadja Sieger and Urs Wehrli, who make up the duo, say their live show includes stand-up comedy, miming, acrobatics, word play, circus tricks, dancing, singing and juggling. They are also «Shakespeare parodists» cartoonists and much-loved children's entertainers.
Wehrli admitted this week that Switzerland was tidy, neat, serious country that needed a few laughs.
«Nadja and I started out on the streets performing, but quickly we were invited to appear at parties and openings and things,» he said.
The comic said he had been impressed with Melbourne's comedy scene.
«Some Australian humour is hard to understand, but everyone is very laid back and friendly. Hopefully, we will be invited back to the festival next year.»
Synchronised Swimming - The Dry Version is on tonight at 6pm at the Town Hall.
Other international visitors include Japanese Mohicanhaired mime act Gamarjobat, which features wild boys Ketch and Hiropin.
Like their Swiss counterparts, these guys learnt their craft as street performers and now specialise in silent comedy.
Gamarjobat perform at the Umbrella Revolution in Federation Square nightly until Sunday April 17.
And any show that features the Alexander Downer Jazz Dancers deserves a mention, The Howard Years, by Josh Zepps, is on at the Athenaeum Theatre in Collins Street until next Sunday.
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