Oh, Sammy J & Randy. For many Adelaide Fringe Festival goers, it just simply isn’t a year in the Garden of Unearthly Delights without these two bringing an hour or so of their absurdly wicked comedy through to one of the tents erected throughout Rymill Park. Their latest show, Sammy J & Randyland, sees the duo dealing with the pressures of their longtime partnership, the tensions of which are fuelled by the fact they’ve decided to embark on a new business venture – taking a ridiculous loan out and purchasing a theme park in order to fulfill one of Sammy’s lifelong dreams.
What could possibly go wrong, I hear you ask? Well, as you may expect, quite a fucking lot. Sammy J and Randy have always provided solid entertainment to crowds of comedy fans who absorb jokes that may be a just that little bit obscene, comes a little too close to the line (before jumping over it completely) and of course, can roll with the mistakes. During the show tonight – it’s been running since the festival opened on February 12th – there were some fluffs; shadow puppets broke, a few lines were stumbled over. What was great, though, was the duo’s ability to pick them up and turn them back in on themselves, making the audience laugh even more than probably intended.
So what happens when you get shanghaied by a less than moral bank loan manager into taking out a three million dollar loan on a theme park while, at the same time, clashing with your best friend and business partner over the aims of said park? When one party is determined on providing wholesome family fun and a platform for his new musical comedy show A J in the Life and the other is hellbent on killer whales being kept in enclosures too small, monkeys in child care and raptors in the petting zoo…things go 0-100 real quick.
The flow of the show was stunted at times and I felt like the small crowd size perhaps affected the way the performers of the night delivered. The crowd rocked with the show throughout and even though it was a Thursday night in the Garden with heaps of shows happening at the same time outside, Sammy J & Randyland still maintained an essence all of its own. The Adelaide specific quips always went down a treat, as did the appearance of National Tiles spokesperson Frank Walker (possibly one of the most laugh out loud moments of the show) – what Sammy J & Randy have proved yet again is that they take the care and effort to get to know their audience and their chosen demographic incredibly well.
Without giving too much away, Sammy J & Randyland is going to impress longtime fans of the skinny/purple duo. For newcomers to their bit, it might take a bit longer for their humour to sink in and moreover, for you to let yourself find them hilarious. Some jokes caused rather restrained laughter, as if we were waiting for someone to tell us it was okay to find a child molester joke funny, while other scenes in the show were so bizarre and vibrant that I found myself sitting in the back row probably with a dumbfounded look on my face that these performers maintain as much brash confidence as they do.
If you love your Fringe shows tall, blonde, skinny with a side of purple attitude, do stop by Sammy J & Randyland at some point before their season finishes – they’ll have you questioning whether or not you believe in magic after all.
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Sammy J & Randyland runs through until the end of the Adelaide Fringe season in March at the Corona Theatre in the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Grab your tickets through here.
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