Fringe Shorts.


Peter Helliar
Whenever the chance arrives for Peter Helliar to get up on stage, (in between a week’s full of TV and radio appearances), he makes sure he says all he's been wanting to get off his chest. Although it seems like he's rambling, just go along with it and when all the loose ends are tied up, the image of a comedic genius forms before you on stage. We've only heard about his sell out hit show ‘Lovely Jubbly’ at the 2003 Melbourne Comedy Festival and at the Sydney Opera House in December last year ('The Ageí called his show "Wonderful; bizarre revelation.", and no-one really knows to what they were referring), but finally Adelaide audiences are lucky enough to catch him here at the Fringe - for three great shows only. At the Nova Cinemas from opening night - Fri 20 Feb.


Rod Quantock
He’s been doing comedy routines since the mid-eighties, so even if he were actually in his mid-eighties Rod Quantock would still manage to pull off a superb comedy performance. As ever, Quantock's performances deal with what he and his audiences love best; the murky seedy world of politics, and who would dare to claim the pickings are any slimmer in this election year? Backed up by a nomination for the Barry Award for the Best Show in the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2003, and an eight-time winner of the coveted Australian Comedy Association’s Golden Guy Fawkes’ Award, Rod Quantock's latest lifestyle show, ‘Changing Regimes,’ shows you how to handle life's little ordeals; his way, at the Nova Cinemas from Wed 24 Feb.


Ms Ima Starr
The very graceful and charming Miz Ima Starr dresses in her best new cloths and welcomes you to a brand new performance in a long list of fabulous events, ‘Welcome To Wherthehellaweeí, which the cognoscenti might describe as a travelogue with a difference! Thus it is described by the lovely lady herself: "It's a story of my life as a cabaret artist; full of the usual hysterical stupidity that you get when you go on tour." Elsewhere, Miz Ima Starr has been called a "walking talking musical wet dream in heels" following great reviews from her sold out ‘Bassy Your Ass Off’ shows at 2003’s Cabaret Festival, you can’t afford to miss this missy. Where else for this performer but at the Queens Arms Cabaret, in Wright St, city? Happily traipsing through your life - with a song - from Sat 21 Feb.


Charlie Pickering
Somewhat subtly, his biographical notes suggest Charlie Pickering has come a long way in a very short time - in fact it's a roundabout journey for the lad, who began entertaining in uni revues in Melbourne, spent the last two years in Sydney presenting the Drive program on the national youth broadcaster Triple J, and is now back in full time stand up comedy in 2004 with shows in the Hobart Comedy, Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festivals.


I Spied
Is David Callan truly a former ASIO operative? Did the man they call 'Frosty' really work for the nation's security organisation from 1986 to 1993 - and if so, has he really left, or is his show nothing more than an elaborate sting? You be the judge: David Callan (known in non-secret agent circles for his stand up and writing, as well as his starring role in the SBS series 'Going Home') presents 'I Spied' at the FringeHUB From Sun 22 Feb to Sun 7 March.


Adam Hills
Adelaide's own Mr Hills has been busy over the last year or so, splitting his time between Australia and the UK, appearing at the Montreal Comedy Festival, doing two Just For Laughs specials for Channel 10 and three radio shows for the BBC. Somehow he's also managed to write not one, not one-and-a-half, but two shows for this yearís Fringe. The first is 'Adam Hills: Cut Loose' at the Cinema Nova from Fri 20 Feb to Sun 29 Feb), while the second is the sequel to his uber-successful Fringe 2002 show 'Go You Big Red Fire Engine' (instructively entitled 'Go You Big Red Fire Engine 2: Judgement Day') at the Union Hall FringeHUB from Tues 2 March to Sun 14 March.


The Best Of The Edinburgh Fest
Think of it as a comedy exchange program: from the Fringe's opposite number in the UK comes three of their best in Junior Simpson (rising star of the UK comedy scene, much sought after as a writer and performer, even boasting a small role in 'Love, Actually'), Greg Burns (finalist in the Comedy Store's Hooch open Mic Awards and Drive presenter on the UK's Heart 106.2) and token Aussie, Far North Queensland's Chris Wainhouse (who took out the top spot in the 1999 Triple J Raw Comedy contest). The trio perform at the Governor Hindmarsh from Thurs 19 Feb to Sun 14 March.


Dave Hughes
The ever-laconic Mr Hughes has become quite the comic-about-town, thanks to regular slots on ABC's 'The Glass House' and Channel 10's 'After The Game', not to mention his ARIA nominated comedy album 'Whatever', his hosting berth for the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala and his regular breakfast gig for Nova in Melbourne. This hasn't prevented him getting a show together for the Fringe (wasn't he meant to be the laziest man in comedy?): he's found a couple of windows in his hectic schedule to bring 'High Voltage' to the FringeHUB on Fri 20 Feb and Sat 21 Feb.


BritCom-edy
As the name suggests, it's a collection of some of the best UK comedians the mother country has to offer: renowned stand-up comic and Edinburgh Fringe favourite Stephen K Amos; writer, improv and voice-over master Gordon Southern; and award-winning Welsh comic Rhodri Gilbert (although surely a Welsh comic isnít a Brit, strictly speaking?). The trio join forces for a season at the Arts Theatre on Angas St from Thurs 19 Feb to Sun 14 March.


Theatre Simple
It wouldn't be Fringe without Seattle's Theatre Simple coming to town with a range of plays. This year their program including the comedy 'The Big Time!'(with music written by Chris Ballew, him out of the Presidents Of The United States Of America), the oh-so sexy 'Parrot Fever (or, Lies I've Told In Chat Rooms)' and an all-new, updated version of 1996's Fringe Grand Prize winning 'Notes From Underground'. Their collective season at the Little Theatre in the FringeHUB spans the period Sun 21 Feb until Sun 14 March.


Virgins
Matt Byrne Media have put together a Fringe performance for about the last four such festivals, and theyíre always high energy fast paced little numbers indeed. Previously MBM have looked at the world of nightclub bouncers ('Bouncers' in 1998) and football fans ('Barrackers' in 2000), for example. Now it's the turn of cut price airline flights - "This is for everyone who loved movies like 'Flying High' and 'Airport' - it's fun, it's a bit bawdy upon flight 04169 [speak it out loud!] where four of us play the stewards and stewardesses, and the passengers, and the pilots and crew - all the usual suspects are there.î 'Virgins' takes off at Maxim's Wine Bar (upstairs at 194a The Parade Norwood) from Wed 18 Feb at 10 pm.


Ed Byrne
Ed was here last year with Arj Barker and his surreal Irish charm has been working wonders on US audiences (thanks in no small part to no less than five appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during his US tour). It's surprising he could afford the time, what with his first feature film ('Rat'), two sitcoms ('Samís Game' and 'The Cassidys') a comedy play for the BBC ('The Pigís Back') and is at work writing his own sitcom - and yet he's taken a sabbatical to come to Adelaide for a season at the Arts Theatre from Thurs 19 Feb to Sun 14 March.


The ObCell
Isolation. Observation. Deprivation. Manipulation. These are the themes of the interactive dance/theatre/media piece 'The ObCell' in which performer Ninian Donald uses the sensor-based Diem Dance System to change the aural and visual environment through movement in a piece by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Fiona Malone. 'The ObCell' runs from Sat 21 Feb to Sat 28 Feb in the State Theatre Company Rehearsal Room 2 at the Dunstan Playhouse.


David O'Doherty
He's won Channel 4's 'So You Think You're Funny' award at the Edinburgh Festival. He was nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer award for his 2000 show 'The Boy Who Saved Comedy'. His children's book 'Ronan Long Gets It Wrong' has been optioned as a major animation series. His play 'Saddledí (co-written with fellow Irish comic Bryan Quinn) is possibly the first piece of theatre to offer live repair of audience member's bicycles. He's Dublin's David O'Doherty and he performs as part of Cream Of Irish at the Arts Theatre from Thurs 19 Feb.