Review: The Best Show
Posted on: Sat 23 Feb 2019
By Lisa Harper Campbell
Adelaide actor Eddie Morrison, in collaboration with director Dave Hirst and local company DandL productions, has created The Best Show, a funny and surprisingly dark solo performance that had the opening night audience amused, mortified and enthralled throughout.
The Best Show follows Eddie as he prepares to present the titular masterpiece. He discusses his childhood, his journey thus far as an actor and his obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog. This all culminates in a terrifying mess.
It’s a commanding performance from Morrison who wastes no time creating a rapport with his audience, almost demanding it. His brash but relatable manner was juxtaposed with times of vulnerability and confusion and thus created a nuanced performance overall.
Audio-visual elements enhanced the overall performance and aided Morrison, who demonstrated impressive stamina with his high-energy levels throughout, in his storytelling.
This being their second collaboration, there was a clear rapport between Morrison as performer and Hirst as director, the latter even providing some ‘direction’ via a microphone at the technician’s desk. This meta-relationship allowed for moments of humour but also guided the structure of an essentially erratic storyline.
Unhinged but never unsafe, Morrison did well to foster a sense of unease as the mental stability of his character deteriorated on stage. A cleverly structured script, combined with the actor’s committed performance, meant that there were times where you had no idea how we had got to this particular point. We’re on this wild train of thought together.
The Best Show continues its season until March 9 at the Mill.
