On 1 October 2017, I was invited to see Hannah Kelly’s 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival show ‘Susan’.
Susan is a clown that does not want to leave the room. This simple premise provided the foundation for Hannah to show off her stagecraft. ‘Susan’ featured a mix of awkward clowning, some cheeky audience participation and a lot of suspense to draw you in.
In front of a supportive crowd, Hannah utilised a couple of helpful audience members along the way to build the show. While a decent amount of humour was drawn from these moments, the trust she quickly developed could have been used to much greater effect either for laughs or engagement with the remainder of the crowd.
This was reflected in portions of the show where there were strong foundations of an interesting and well-executed character but without the punch. Where this stood out was in the literal darker moments of the show. Hannah’s greatest strengths were in her expressions and mannerisms as ‘Susan’. She had our attention but lost it when far away or out of sight completely.
The laughs were at a peak when the show avoided more simple humour. As much as flatulence humour will get a laugh first up, the more it’s used, the faster it tires. As ‘Susan’, Hannah showed she had skill to entertain an audience and her strengths lie in taking her humour to the next level. A quick glance or lethargic sigh became Hannah’s secret weapon to bringing the laughs, which built on the atmosphere that she had created.
‘Susan’ is finished for the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival but keep an eye out for future Hannah Kelly productions.
Hugs achieved: x1
Susan is a clown that does not want to leave the room. This simple premise provided the foundation for Hannah to show off her stagecraft. ‘Susan’ featured a mix of awkward clowning, some cheeky audience participation and a lot of suspense to draw you in.
In front of a supportive crowd, Hannah utilised a couple of helpful audience members along the way to build the show. While a decent amount of humour was drawn from these moments, the trust she quickly developed could have been used to much greater effect either for laughs or engagement with the remainder of the crowd.
This was reflected in portions of the show where there were strong foundations of an interesting and well-executed character but without the punch. Where this stood out was in the literal darker moments of the show. Hannah’s greatest strengths were in her expressions and mannerisms as ‘Susan’. She had our attention but lost it when far away or out of sight completely.
The laughs were at a peak when the show avoided more simple humour. As much as flatulence humour will get a laugh first up, the more it’s used, the faster it tires. As ‘Susan’, Hannah showed she had skill to entertain an audience and her strengths lie in taking her humour to the next level. A quick glance or lethargic sigh became Hannah’s secret weapon to bringing the laughs, which built on the atmosphere that she had created.
‘Susan’ is finished for the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival but keep an eye out for future Hannah Kelly productions.
Hugs achieved: x1
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