2012 Melbourne Fringe:
• The Super Normal Life of Aiden Allcock

Posted on 15 October 2012

The last day of the Melbourne Fringe Festival and it’s time to check out anything that wasn’t listed as comedy, but looks like fun. This year that bit of fun was The Super Normal Life of Aiden Allcock.

The story for Aiden Allcock is pretty basic. Boy wants to live his life as a superhero and prove himself to the girl on whom he has a crush. It’s a workable premise charmingly realised. What makes this show stand out is the exceptional songs and dance ably performed by the cast members.

Show creator Dan Nixon’s tunes were catchy. They had a lovely range and were richly produced by Andrew Christie. Dan Nixon and Sarah Cooper choreographed tight dance numbers that were imaginative and well integrated into the events of the show. This was cabaret at its delectable best.

Our artless hero was played with an ingenuously light touch by Jon Christie. He was completely believable as our young costumed crusader Aiden Allcock. Phil De Zylva played Aiden’s friend Jake, AKA the superhero Trendsetter, with all the anime-style delight you could hope for. I was pleased to see that Sarah, the female character, happily shared in the boys’s doughty dreams. Jess Martin brought a gorgeous vibrancy to the role. Dan Nixon appeared as friend Alex and helped keep the story bubbling along.

This was clearly a children’s work, but played well to the adult audiences at Melbourne Fringe. I feel strongly that this work should be taken further, such as to community arts centres and schools. Though the possibility was there for innuendo with Aiden’s last name, it was never explored. Nevertheless, for a children’s audience I would suggest changing it to something like “Allwin”. The school counsellor number was clearly meant as an hommage to Japanese manga or anime. I would still find someone to check whether this Asian stereotype sits well with all audiences.

If you see this show advertised at the Melbourne Comedy Festival or a community theatre near you, go go go. Take your kids, your grand-kids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, you’ll be glad you did.

The Super Normal Life of Aiden Allcock Melbourne Fringe Website

Peace and kindness,

Katherine


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