Hott Property
Maxims Wine Bar, 14th February 2018
Reviewed: Jacqui Wall
Matt Byrne is at it again. The promotion of theatre in Adelaide is very near and dear to his heart and whenever he has the opportunity to do said promotion he grabs it with open arms. The Adelaide Fringe is the perfect vehicle for him and the rest of Adelaide to be part of unique theatre. Matt being an accomplished, well-seasoned writer pens a lively and enthusiastic production each and every year for the The Adelaide Fringe.
This year’s offering is “Hott Property”. All those reality property shows you see on TV rolled into one. Each of the cast play four very unique and different characters and not once did they get them muddled. The pivotal characters were Matt Byrne as Red Hott, Theresa Dolman as Smokin’ Hott, Amber Platten as Pipin’ Hott and Brad Butvila as Terry Trott. It does not take a genious to work out where we are going with this last one given that Pipin’ and Terry are a couple. The standout for me was the portrayal by Brad as Gary Purgatory, a born again something – not really sure what but those eyes were hilarious. Nothing is sacred to Matt and he takes extreme pleasure in highlighting every stereotype you can imagine from English whingers, Ladies of Suspect Employment and father and son duo who perhaps should have been called Milat instead of Hunt all looking for a home. Jokes and puns where a-plenty, some good, some cringe worthy but they were all there as you would expect from Matt’s productions. The Tradie sequence in particular showcased these but I was a little disappointed he did not bring out the Tradie Underwear.
Technical was good on opening night and the atmosphere was, as usual for Maxim’s, top notch. “Hott Property” will continue to build from now until 17th March at Maxim’s Wine Bar in Norwood. Do yourself a favour, take a night off from thinking theatre and enjoy a laugh.
