Rose [LIVE] | The Little Palais | til Feb 17 | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
The late-night talk show format is an undeniable staple of American and British television. With internationally recognisable hosts including Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien to Graham Norton and Alan Carr, the tried-and-true formula has a proud legacy of memorable hosts, familiar segments, and iconic moments in pop culture.
Despite Australia’s penchant for replicating everything our inter-continental friends put onto film, late night talk shows never really found their footing in Australia. That is, until the advent of Rove [LIVE]. Perth expatriate Rove McManus captured the nation with his broad, accessible comedy and casual interview style, entertaining Aussie audiences from 1999 – 2009.
I’m sure there are essays and think pieces and Twitter threads exploring the how and why of Rove, but save your thumbs. Rose [LIVE] brings the magic of Australian talk show culture directly to you with a speigeltent spectacular skewering the antics of the popular host and the late-night genre as a whole.
Rose (played by creator Rose KB) is a talk show host at the end of her tether. Her show is staring down the barrel of cancellation and she will do whatever it takes to keep herself on the air. Swanning around the arena stage, gloriously slurring her speech as if she’d taken a few too many Valium, Rose warmly introduces herself to a captive audience and the predicament at hand.
And so, the audience are recruited to help Rose and her off-siders Elijah and Neil save Rose [LIVE] from the axe. The team are pulling out all of the stops to bring you the best edition of late-night television ever to be broadcast. Poking fun at the typical TV tropes (games! prizes! special guests! televised feats of endurance!), these creators execute their concept brilliantly.
Rose [LIVE] feels like it has been created by people who love the art of comedy. This very talented and funny crew offer a fantastic showcase of the craft in all its forms – from monologue and stand-up to character bits and sketch comedy. Rose, as the titular character, was a deliciously bold character from start to finish, and Elijah and Neil had sensational turns in the spotlight – Elijah with a side-splitting whirlwind stand-up set probing his experiences as a queer Indigenous person and Neil with their remarkably accurate (read: very funny) impersonation of the one and only Tim Winton.
I personally loved the idea of having an AI-written improv section to close the show, and the team made the very best of some disappointingly boring audience prompts. There are a few moments that felt a little out of place, perhaps stretched to fill the 90-minute time slot, but the absurdity of it all was just such a joy to take in.
If you’re a fan of lovingly-crafted comedy, satire and all things late night – this is the show for you. Don’t miss these incredible local talents this Fringe World season.
Rose [LIVE] is playing in The Pleasure Garden until Sunday 18 February. For more, head to fringeworld.com.au
Leigh Andrew Hill is an editor at OUTinPerth, with a BA from the University of Western Australia in Media Studies & Art History. Since 2005, Leigh has studied and practiced journalism, film-making, script-writing, language, contemporary performance and visual arts. Leigh has also been a freelancer writer, and producer and presenter on RTRFM 92.1.
Image: Mitchell Tweed
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