Come On Down: A Hilarious Comedy Game Show | Fringe World
Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in February 2017.
Come On Down is a welcome change to some of the more serious shows we have been reviewing for Fringe. Come On Down is a hilarious interactive show about a live taping of a TV game show called Come On Down, full of the fun clichés we have grown accustomed to seeing on these particular shows.
“Come On Down is the live taping of a game show that’s aired straight to community channel Access 44! The show is driven by Simon, a man that loves Come on Down and lives to be accepted by the world he broadcasts to. It’s high stakes, low budget. It’s an exploration of one socially inept man’s dream and a pursuit to discover exactly what it is that makes Simon and the Come on Down contestants ‘tick’.
Filmed right here at the North Metropolitan TAFE in Northbridge (Noodle Palace)- this site specific comedy gives an insight into the world of community television game shows and exactly how far people will go to get what they want. Anything and everything could and will go wrong.”
This show was incredibly funny; I don’t know how to properly express how truly hilarious this show was. To give some insight, the friend I saw the show with literally needed her inhaler after because of how hard she was laughing. This show was a welcome change of pace from the more sombre and serious shows I’ve seen this year at Fringe.
The premise for Come On Down is genius. Setting it up and fully committing to the live studio audience interactive quality was clever, which meant the show started before we were even seated. Standing outside waiting to go in, Simon greets us all and lays out some ground rules for being an audience member of Come On Down. We are then all presented with individual lanyards to wear for the entirety of the show.
Come On Down embraces its interactive element without making it confronting to the audience, we were included, but also left alone. The most one member of the audience had to do was keep score of the points being awarded on the show. So for those who are frightened like I am when the word “interactive” appears, fret not as this is not a show with full on audience participation. I enjoyed being able to enjoy this wacky game show so intimately with the cast, I especially loved the touch of the working camera which displayed what it saw on the TV, meaning we could also witness what “those at home” were viewing. Which I thought was an excellently innovative touch, which gave the show depth.
I loved how unique each character was, and how they interacted with each other onstage. I loved Simon’s relationship with his cameraman, and their use of walkie-talkies when things weren’t going according to Simon’s plan. My heart ached for Jenny, and her social anxiety, I was also impressed with how smoothly they made her nose bleed during the show. The occult twist was also incredibly unexpected and just added another level of crazy to this already brilliantly wacky show. However, Simon was definitely the standout star of the show, as the eccentric host of Come On Down, his passion for the show and not wanting it to fail is endearing, even if he goes about it in completely the wrong way. Plus the games played in the show were hilarious.
Come On Down has only one show left and I implore you to see this show, which doesn’t take itself seriously, and is guaranteed to have you leaving with a big smile and a sore stomach from laughing.
