‘Become a Functional Adult’ is a hilarious and slightly bawdy show, written and performed by Curtin theatre graduate, Sophie Joske. Sophie, who is actually quite a shy person, has cast straight acting aside for a while, to specialise in improvisation and stand-up comedy.
This 50-minute Perth Fringe, Dagaz production, is part of the Summer Nights series and can be seen nightly at the Blue Room Studio, James Street, Northbridge at the earlier time of 6.30 pm. Performances run until Saturday 7th February.
As soft background music plays (Jack McEwan), the sign on the wall announces that we are in the reception area of ‘Functional Training’, a company that specialises in taking young, naïve and immature people from constantly being trampled upon by others, and showing them how to become empowered in life and romantically please their partners.
A smart, young woman (Sophie Joske) introduces herself before beginning her lecture. In the side-splitting routine that follows, we are taken through the initial ‘chat up’ routine, before progressing on to what to do during sex. However, for this self-assured speaker, her conscience (voiced by Catherine Bonny) is not far away and every now and then, her style is brought into question.
The young director is Catherine Bonny who already has an admirable portfolio; she has captured Sophie’s subtle, droll, and straight delivery, and guided her performance, blending it with a very professional, lecture-style presentation, complete with amusing diagrams and audio-visual. Sophie, with a broad smile, takes us enthusiastically and faultlessly through this 50-minute show.
The sound and lighting were skilfully operated by Emma Sullivan.
A very funny show, with plenty of novel ideas and lateral thinking going into the punchy script. Great fun.