Words Kimberlee Jones
Saturday night I caught the early show by Eli Matthewson and Brynley Stent, more commonly known as Exes at Q Theatre. The show began with a slideshow of various pictures from their childhood through to their dating days and it wasn’t long before the couple, no pair, took to stage.
The dynamic of this duo certainly came across as well rehearsed however I enjoyed most when the script wasn’t kept to and Eli temporarily lost composure during a scripted scene of an intimate nature. The crowd took a while to warm up and get the drift of the jokes and nuances that were meant to inspire laughter and while it wasn’t a laugh a minute there were a couple of good belly laughs to be had.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and the content was relevant to the now and was refreshingly feel-good with no negative vibe.
My only gripe is, that I feel the Space Time Continuum could not possibly be torn any further as this was very repetitive with 4 or 5 times they were on stage. The date of their break up, December 12 2009, is one that will be hard to forget as the evening was spent sharing various possible alternate versions of their lives. For my introduction to the Comedy Festival these two have left me craving more.
A decent crowd more than half filled the Loft at Q Theatre and with one gentleman being taken up on stage as a participant, it created that little bit extra to draw everyone in. After it turned out one particular skit had homosexual undertones, the volunteer looked rather awkward as he headed off stage.
With some well performed Shakespearean monologues as well as some singing, the feigned awkwardness between these two only built a higher expectation. I am glad to say I was not disappointed and I, for one, am sure glad these two did split up as this created a great working relationship and I look forward to more from them.
