Get in, sit down and buckle up! You’ve just arrived at the best new ride at Warner Bros Movie World (Hollywood on the Gold Coast) and it’s going to be a wild, rocky and hilarious ride.
I’m going to be honest, up until I was assigned to review this show, I had never heard of Andy Balloch, and I’m not sure how I’ve missed him after all these years as a keen stand-up and improv fan! Obviously, I’ve been living under a rock, or maybe it’s just Adelaide related. Some do say we’re a bit behind with the times!
When the doors swung open on the stunning Majestic Rooftop bar function room (possibly the Fringe venue with the best view), the ride experience began immediately. A tall man in a long white lab coat and safety goggles introduced us to the room and kindly guided us to our seats. With a name tag plastered on his chest that reads ‘Taylor’, he gave us a quick safety brief and rundown on how the ride would go.
In a swift and flawless costume change, an extremely high quality ‘hologram’ of Andy Balloch appeared to stand before us, shining, stunning, and sparkling in a glittery silver suit from head to toe! How perfectly fitting.
After a brief introduction, we collectively dived into the show with Andy taking us back and forth between decades, going all the way back to WWI as we explored Andy’s personal journey from childhood, his early adult years, the present, and how this has formed the person he is today.
Through a vast cast of bizarre and unhinged characters, Andy opens up and shows his vulnerable side, tackling some dark topics and dropping some wild facts that cause some pretty severe jolts to the ride. He takes pause when he mentions them, letting their impact soak in and giving you time to digest them, before slipping into another character, taking us to a new place and having our sides splitting in laughter. Andy Balloch is a master of direction.
I think the aspect that takes Andy’s show to the next level is in the use of audio effects and prompts combined with lighting design, helping to transfer us between scenes. I’ve never seen a show with this much effort and choreography to transform a simple and small stage into a wild theme park ride!
While Andy pokes fun multiple times throughout the show, his $11000 American improv trip, in my opinion, is well worth every cent. Andy is so quick and witty, and when things go a little sideways from some tech stumbles, he recovered flawlessly, keeping the show on track. His acting is impeccable and is so well suited to a show of this kind. It is the perfect combo. I honestly loved this show. I laughed, I didn’t quite cry, but it was smartly hard hitting at times and overall left me with some thought provoking ideas.
I love Adelaide Fringe for discovering new artists, revisiting those I’ve seen in the past, and Andy Balloch will definitely be joining that list for sure. I genuinely can’t wait to see what’s next for this incredibly talented human.
Andy Balloch’s ‘Am I the Drama?’ is currently playing at Adelaide Fringe until March 17 at The Majestic‘s Majestic Roof Garden Hotel. He will then take the show to the Sydney and Brisbane Comedy Festivals in May 2024.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/am-i-the-drama-af2024
https://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/event/andy-balloch-am-i-the-drama
https://www.brisbanecomedyfestival.com/events/andy-balloch
https://www.instagram.com/theandyballoch