There was some good and bad news from watching Sam Dugmore’s Adelaide Fringe show ManBo last year. The good part was that the show was fantastic and brought back many memories from my childhood. The bad news was that it was the very last show, and day, of the Adelaide Fringe so I couldn’t talk it up to anybody who’ll listen. Well, this year I changed things up a bit and saw it at the beginning of the season. This means that you still have the chance to watch this wonderful comedic performance, which pays tribute to John Rambo and many action films of the 80s.

It's always nice when a performer greets his audience before starting his act, and Sam was right there in the doorway saying hi to everyone who was walking in, while handing out plastic balls for the interactive fun that would be performed later. Putting a comedic bent on masculinity, he parodies the Rambo films of the past, by exaggerating the actions and words of those action film stars we all know. Playing the lead character of ManBo with much silliness and laughs, but also playing the roles of the Colonel, dog Fluffy, and an evil Russian bad guy. I can’t imagine how tired Sam must be at the end of each one-hour show because he puts so much energy and passion into his performance that it really shines through to the audience - and comes out in the many applauses and cheers he receives. It’s also a joy to see him pluck audience members out to help ManBo in his mission. Although some of them are a bit too enthusiastic (it’s not about you, guys!), Sam managed to keep his cool and keep them on track so he could finish his wonderful story. ManBo is a show that everybody can enjoy and, quite honestly, is one of the best one-man shows I’ve seen at the Fringe!

FIVE STARS *****