Enjoy the uplifting Irish Dance, Folk and Gypsy music for $20.
*****
And then, sometime after 4:00pm, along came Mr Fibby.This amazing group were the most accomplished musicians, with the most imaginative stage show it has been my pleasure to witness in a very long time. According to a somewhat dubious biography, they are "Borracio" - on Cello, "Seraphina" - on Violin, and "Zavi"- on guitar. The artist known as "Not Important" is billed as providing the vocals. In fact his stage presence, even when silent, is very powerful.
Their own "blurb" shows their literary style and humour (which owes something to "Borat"):
"Mr. Fibby are to engulf you in a howling dervish of despair. With them you shall wander through faux fairy tales most lamentable, past monstrous trees, men once dead, jealous lovers, lost gypsies, shattered hearts and a moon, as red as blood. The musicians shall pluck at your heart, as well as their instruments, while a lone man (from where? from when?) spins tales as delicate, and as deadly, as a spider’s web."
"Three young, up and coming acoustic musicians have joined forces with an established playwright and story teller to form a unique group - Mr. Fibby."
"These innovative Canberrans collaborate to perform a highly skilled, endearing and frequently comical ‘manouche’ style show which has already proven to delight and enthrall audiences."
"Mr. Fibby are come to you from a place that you do not know.
There is to be laughter, there is to be tears."
The foot of the Artist known as "Not Important" - a comic/tragic genius.
This performance was the highlight of the Springtime in Robertson program for me.
But I can still barely forgive the organisers for such an ill-judged combination of events (on a single bill).
- Mr Fibby was done a great injustice by being linked with the most boring presentation of Irish music I have ever heard. Besides, there was nothing even remotely "Irish" about Mr Fibby's performance, so the headline billing was wildly inaccurate.
- As for the group of schoolgirls performing their Irish Dancing routines, such performances have their place - in front of their doting parents, friends and relatives. The same might be said of School Concerts, and performances at School Speech Nights, or indeed Swimming Carnivals. I have no problem with parents attending such performances, for they know who they are supporting, and why.
- It was inappropriate to advertise the Irish Dancers performance as part of a supposedly "Uplifting Irish, folk and Gypsy Music" event. It was no such thing.
- Worse, the Pilgrim Band was a totally inappropropriate choice as a preliminary act for a group of talented, and highly imaginative musicians and actors. As a professional group of performers, Mr Fibby has every right to feel that they were disrespected (to use the modern jargon - they were "dissed") by the organisers of the Springtime in Robertson program.
- I also feel it is fair to say that some of the audience - parents and young children - were there under an equally false impression of what they were about to see and hear (as I was). I was not offended, but some of them obviously were.
- Mr Fibby's language rating and use of "adult concepts" made them an inappropriate Act to stage in Robertson, on a Sunday afternoon, after a childrens dance performance, at the local School of Arts. It was a "Cabaret" performance - and even the briefest of research into their routine ought have brought that to attention.
Don't get me wrong - the people who did not walk out (including myself) - loved Mr Fibby's performance.
But many of the audience would have every right to feel that the choice of program was inappropriate.
*****
If only Mr Fibby had been billed for the Saturday night - the party could have kicked on for hours, and a great atmosphere, suitable to the content of their performance, could have been engendered. It could have been a legendary performance - as it was indeed fit to be.
And, as a Cabaret performance, appropriately advertised, it would most likely have packed the Hall, which might have helped with the other unspoken problem with the Springtime in Robertson program.
1 comment:
hilarious
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