Black Medicine
Aug 1-25 (00.00)

Material:   Delivery:   Laughs:

It was August 1st, 2019, & I found myself in the supersnazzy, shabbychic Black Medicine Café, who are for August serving Free Fringe alongside their edible & quaffable delectables. I was there for the midnight feast that is The Wonder Jam, provided by three Gaulier attendees; Lorna Rose Treen, Belinda Anderson-Hunt & Dougie Baldwin. Together they blend clownerie & sketches within a cacophonous cauldron of comedy. Beside them, on the laptop & microphone cues, was an Australian rose called Rose, who was a little laissez-faire on the first night, but I’m sure will sharpen up as the month progresses.

The Wonder Jam will also be intersplicing a different act from across the Fringe each night, offering something unique every show for those loving the Jam. What we do get is a certain madcap randomness, altho’ one feels that every movement & word has been thought-out with the increasing mastery of their talents & training. There were a couple of repetitions of character, which do lose impact the second time round – like opened beers put back in the fridge until morning – but I guess that’s the nature of their art, finding new aspects of the same theme. But these Gaulier students are surely pouring their own creative juices into the river from which they drink.

Therefore, for anyone who is out on the town this Fringe, with the beer flowing well & who fancies just getting involved in the laughter, then The Wonder Jam is perfect. For aficionados of the comedic schools, this show is also for you, as they are keepers of the tradition, & innovators all the same.

Damian Beeson Bullen