Australian actor Rob Carlton (Chandon Pictures, North Shore, Boy Swallows Universe, Winner of the 2012 Silver Logie Award for portraying Sir Kerry Packer in Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo) would be the ideal guest for any party. Just put him in the centre of a room and let your guests gravitate to his storytelling prowess. Carlton is a born, extremely gifted and consummate storyteller! He has a power and magic about him that magnetises one and takes you into the whole experience of what he is sharing with you. I’ve used the word magic but it is that and an abundance of skill that makes a Carlton show special.

Two Fringes ago Carlton brought his show Willing Participant to Adelaide for the first time – it was a smash hit, with this reviewer giving it 5 out of 5 stars. Virgin In A Knife Fight is even better, and if I could, this reviewer would give this show 6 out of 5 stars. 

Under Darren Gilshenan’s respectful direction of letting the performer utilise his own skills and talent, Carlton relates four true stories that involve ‘surprise’, nudging our funny bone and touching our emotions. Carlton has written all four stories, beautifully painting them verbally as well as enacting them brilliantly. The man is an incredibly accomplished actor and this shows in every minute gesture, astute pauses and variations in vocal timbre.

As humorous as the show is, there is one very beautiful moment that is just absolutely spellbinding – one can almost hear the teardrops hitting the floor brought about by Carlton’s sheer fearlessness and honesty. He holds nothing back in delivering stories perfectly and weaves them into one another well darting back and forth in time and place but never losing or confusing us. There is also very clever usage of the only prop; a single black folding chair.

Virgin In A Knife Fight is a great piece of theatre, with story teller Rob Carlton as Australia’s answer to Peter Ustinov and possibly the reincarnation of Banjo Paterson. 

If this show does not get a Fringe Award of some kind, then I will find a virgin and have my own knife fight!