‘Short Change’ is part of the Perth Fringe Festival. This WA Premiere, for the more mature audiences, has been devised and presented by Ruby Gaytime; better known to the Perth audiences, as the long-time comedic partners, Sarah Reuben and George Gayler.
George recently played a major part in a Heath Ledger Theatre play, receiving great accolades. Sarah has done stand-up comedy in addition to her versatile acting. Sarah’s father is a well-known personality on Perth TV.
This fast moving, hilarious and very well written look at life can be seen in the Ramen Room, at the ‘Noodle Palace at Central’ (in the TAFE building), 19 Francis Street, Northbridge. This location has won the best venue award for the past two years.
The 50-minute shows are nightly at 6.30 pm until Saturday 7th February.
The stage lights up to a beautiful duet singing in perfect harmony. At the ned of the number we meet two young friends discussing a wedding; one of them is getting married in a couple of weeks the a wonderful man – she thinks – but her friend has made a different assessment of his personality and feels obliged to warn her girlfriend before the wedding.
There then follows numerous sketches where two people are chatting, from the rich and famous to down-and-outs on the street. The clever writing captures the dialogue of the characters perfectly. The expressions, mannerisms, country of origin, style of dress are all there as this couple seamlessly move from one act to another.
There are moments of madness, and times when we see the tragedy behind the frivolity. The lighting and props give instant scenario to each cameo.
The clever use of a $1 coin being passed around links the scenes, showing how for some this is the bridge between life and death, whereas for others it is disposable change, hardly worth carrying around.
A very talented couple, giving a wonderful performance, with well-observed insights as to how people think and react together.