Original Review:

Alongside Sammy J’s 1999, this is the second Nineties-set teenage romance nostalgia fantasy of the festival. In this one, the 17-year-old Simmons, embarking on his first-ever job stacking oranges in a supermarket, develops a crush on a girl who works at the food court in the same mall. Will he pluck up enough courage to take her to the movies – to see Sandra Bullock in The Net – or will his treacherous nemesis, the part-time magician who works in Tandy, get there first?

This is the first narrative show from this talented oddball, and the structure provides him with just enough discipline to make the surreal accessible. It’s rich with ludicrously precise pop culture reference, ridiculous line drawings on his ever-present flipchart and daft musical numbers to push the storyline forward – or provide a respite from it.

The supporting cast are well-drawn, too, such as his ‘innovative’ boss, the perpetually cheery Argentinean and the Down’s Syndrome trolley boy (which manages to just about avoid being offensive) – all adding to the feeling this is a layered story you care about, despite all the mad nonsense going on around the fringes of the tale. There’s a strong sense of place and time, too, a real feel of suburban dreams in 1995, not just lazy reminiscences of stupid things that were briefly cool.

Most of the laughs come from the sheer ludicrousness of brief non-sequiturs or random asides. But it’s absurdity with a heart and a real tale to tell, which is why the hour doesn’t just hold up under the weight of all the silliness, but positively sparkles because of it.

Reviewed by:Steve Bennett
Melbourne, April 2009