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It never ceases to amaze me how one man and a folding chair can elicit so many feelings in such a short time.
Last year, Rob Carlton won the Best Theatre Show at Perth Fringe with Willing Participant, so we were excited to see what he would deliver. This year, Rob’s Fringe contribution is Virgin in a Knife Fight.
We are sitting in a black rehearsal room downstairs at the State Theatre with a folding chair on its side in the middle of the stage.
Rob bounces onto the stage and we are straight into the stories.
The evening starts with the excitement of stolen backpacks and a knife fight in Salzburg, hence the show title. He tells this and three interweaving stories about being underprepared in his misspent youth.
We move seamlessly from Salzburg into morbid fears and guilt revolving around sexually transmitted diseases. He tells the unbelievable but true story about a crazy lawyer and a meat pack defence. The touching story about a deep friendship is told with heartfelt kindness.
Rob is an expert in telling stories in a way that keeps you listening to his cleverness with words, watching his actions and riding the rollercoaster of emotions. The laughs, mostly at his own expense are hilarious. The creation of his characters, who are real, feel real.
Rob is a silver Logie winning actor whose most recent TV outings are in Boy Swallows Universe and White Lotus. He is an exceptional actor, and it shines in his one man show.
He is the master of connecting with his audience. His delivery is precise, highly energetic, skilfully utilises all the senses and uses the pause to perfection.
Rob Carlton is doing two more shows for Fringe at the State Theatre of WA – don’t miss them.