Chopper
Harden The F#ck Up!
Umbrella Revolution, Garden of Unearthly Delights
Wed 21 March
until Thurs 29 March


You knew you were in for something different when you had to swear several f*ckin' oaths before Chopper prior to getting proceedings underway. But first, let's deconstruct Chopper. In the beginning, there was Mark 'Chopper' Read the criminal from Melbourne (where else?). Handle bar moustache, jail house tats, convictions for armed robbery, assault, fire arms and kidnapping a judge. But he was no ordinary personality - articulate, intelligent, ironic, philosophical and witty in a highly imitable style.

Chopper the crim begat Chopper the movie. Chopper the movie begat Chopper the character on TV's 'Ronnie Johns Half Hour'. And now Chopper the character has escaped the idiot box and is on the run in the 'Harden the F*ck Up' tour. There is no hint of Heath Franklin on stage - Chopper is in front of you and Chopper is a concept - Chopper refers to himself in the third person. Chopper is to Franklin what Dame Edna Everage is to Barry Humphries: something else altogether.

Anyways, I laughed my head off. Amoral and irreverent, this act gets away with murder because Chopper is, well, Chopper. Poking a stick at good natured Australian xenophobism, Chopper assails nambie behaviour wherever it stuck in his craw.

Besides using some video and a couple of slide presentations to make his points, Chopper and Mini-Chopper interviewed an audience member and demonstrated first aid. He was relaxed and comfortable and his replies to the hecklers were great. While threats of violence and a constant stream of profanity seemed cuddly within the safe format of audience and stage, there was the anxious sense that the real deal was just around the corner ready to mug you. A really great night out - do sit in the first three rows.

David Grybowski