Laughter echoes as festival ends

The 2010 Dunedin Fringe Festival scraped off its greasepaint, packed up its funny suitcase and wandered out the backstage door yesterday.

It leaves a trail of fun and entertainment in its wake.

The Fringe has found a natural home in Dunedin.

It brings colour and energy to our city and few festivals look as good against our grey backdrop of heritage buildings.

It reminds us that it is nice not to take things seriously all the time.

The eighth Fringe festival showed, once again, that laughter is good for our hearts.

"We're absolutely delighted with how it's gone," festival director Paul Smith told me yesterday.

"It just gets better and better each year. People have been blown away by the variety of the shows and performances this year and that's what we want.

"We've had some incredibly talented artists here who have created a real buzz around town. I take my hat off to all of them."

Here are some of my highlights over the past 11 days.

Funny moment #1: At the Fringe launch in the Octagon, artist Ewan McDougall missed the giant canvas with his first paint bomb, enthusiastically raced back to get another, went head over heels on the grass and then, when he did get his hands on another paint bomb, sent it straight into a passing car.

Impressive act: Christchurch busker Shay Horay's feat of escaping from a straitjacket while bouncing on a pogo stick was pretty good.

Nice moment: I was backstage at the Fortune for the final night of I Love Camping. The Aucklanders revealed they needed an audience of 20 to break even. They got a near full house.

The I-wish-I-was-as-cool-as-you award: Ian "Dr Glam" Chapman.

World class: Eddi Reader was all that. Thank you, New Edinburgh Folk Club.

Pink rinse award: Doom Gravy: A Radio Disaster in Six Parts was one for all ages. A clever and funny show by a bunch of people having a good time.

Oops award: Fox News got all excited about the Fringe and ran an item on it in the United States, "Oddities on display at Aussie Fringe Festival". "How embarrassing," Fox News science and technology editor Jeremy Kaplan said, when it was pointed out that Dunedin is actually in New Zealand, not Australia. "I'm sorry. We Americans are too often so narrow minded."

See it at www.foxnews.com/slideshow/scitech/2010/03/25/oddities-display-aussie-fri... and www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/03/25/crazy-inventions-display-aussie-fring...

Funny moment #2: Unacceptable Archaeologies at the Dowling St steps was supposed to end with the three performers climbing into a car and being driven off by Blue Oyster director Jaenine Parkinson. But the car wouldn't start. Ah, maybe you had to be there.

Best costume: The 1000 safety pin dress, designed by Clara Chon and worn by Motoko Kikkawa, in Unacceptable Archaeologies.

Honourable mention: Some of the outfits in Burlesque as You Like It had to be seen to be believed.

Evel Knievel award: Joseph Worley's "beam-crawler" ride over the Water of Leith on Saturday was as neat as it was bizarre.

Close encounter of the third kind award: Ian "Dr Glam" Chapman's Glitter Show at Allen Hall on Saturday night.

Best moment: For me, it was the gathering of Fringe performers in an impromptu evening of music and dance at Mou Very. Pure magic. Pure Fringe.

Clever idea: Full [expletive] Moon's concept of co-ordinating radio stations Radio One and Toroa in I Am A Strange Loop was really quite amazing.

Bizarre music award: Phil Dadson, Adrian Hall and their collection of eccentric instruments in "New Live Sound Works" at Chick's Hotel. It was their first collaboration since 1971.

The That-was-a-bit-mean-Mark-O'Neill award: Busker "Slim Pickings" complaining during his Octagon performance that "the ODT cost me three months work" because we published his real name during last year's Fringe coverage. We're a newspaper, Mark. That's what we do.

Endeavour award: Charlotte Dick, Sandra Muller and Mandy Mayhem brightened up the Octagon every day with their colourful antics.

Best comedian quote: "You've got to have a back-up plan. Even if it's just going back up to the dressing room." - Justine Smith.

Biggest disappointment: Last year's 3rd Horse by Katrina Thomson was possibly the best Fringe production I have ever seen. This year's Core was a pale imitation by comparison. I told Thomson I thought this and she revealed that her funding application for another "epic" work had been declined this year. Whoever would decline a funding application from Katrina Thomson needs their head read.

Aroha nui award: Indigenous dance festival Te Ngaru Hou - The Next Wave at Puketeraki marae at Karitane over the weekend.

Best Chindogu: I liked the ukelele with the vegetable grater over the sound hole, designed by Jane Venis, for the busy musician with no time to cook.

Performance I wish I'd seen: Venis actually played the vegetable grater ukelele with a carrot at the Pecha Kucha in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery last weekend.

See it at http://www.3news.co.nz/Useless-inventions-all-the-rage-at-Fringe-Festiva...

Thanks for coming award: To all the artists and performers who travelled many miles to entertain us. Thanks for coming and we hope to see y'all back here real soon.

Thanks for being there award: To all the volunteers who make the Fringe happen. Cheers from us all.