Tween star packs a punch
COMEDY Review: Bernadette Neeling
EDGE!
4.5 stars
The Noodle Palace - The Ken Dome
"Lock up your sons, lock up your daughters, lock up yourselves." Eleven-year-old YouTube sensation Stella is in Perth, with EDGE!
Isabel Angus and Rachel Davis showed the Noodle Palace that the Grisabel Production deserved its award for Best Comedy at the 2013 Melbourne Fringe.
Clunky tap dances, infinite love song medleys and strange skits about empowerment and marketing were entertainingly over-blocked and over-projected. Angus was spectacular as the intimidating tween star. The contorted looks of horror on Stella's face every time she danced never ceased to amaze.
The starlet set out rules at the beginning of her show and ensured our eyes were upon her at all times, even telling the boyfriend she conscripted from the audience to "stop pulling focus" when he hit the fan on his way off stage.
We got the occasional peek into Stella's horrifying daily regimen when she went off topic, and caught a moving glimpse of the scared child behind the bizarre props and "sex-costumes" when the Bluetooth connection to her Mumager cut out.
The absent Mumager's dogma seeped into the whole show. It was highlighted when Stella emphasised how young and marketable she was and climaxed in her design for a finale that affirmed "controversy is the best".
The foil to our diva was her cousin and tech Ashley, played delicately by Davis. The near-silent character was daggy and endearing, and emphasised just how monstrous Stella had become.
From sharing songs about marshmallows and clouds on Youtube, to delivering "edge like you've never endured" live on-stage, Stella's story is a dark but whimsical critique of MTV's brand of feminism.
I really hope to see this clever, daring and very funny pair back in Perth before the next Fringe World.
