I don’t know where Reuben Solo came from. Apparently he’s been to Perth with his shows before, since as far back in time as 2022. He’s snuck into town again at the hot, frizzy, crunchy end of FRINGE WORLD to present his new show Please Clap down at Four5Nine Bar.
Actually, Reuben Solo is from Melbourne and the Internet, and he’s brought along his friend Ray O’Leary from the Television (and also the Internet) to do a five minute opening set, lend some clout, and spread the weekly award-winner vibes around. There is an additional person involved in the show, a young gentleman who runs the sound desk and later makes an appearance on stage. He looks like the barefoot son of Ryan Gosling and David Arquette, but nowhere in Solo’s press materials can I find his real name, so I’ll call him Soundman. In any case, they’re a dynamic duo that makes this ‘solo’ show anything but.
I did not do any proper research beforehand into what Mr Solo’s comedic output is like, mostly because I like being surprised at Fringe, and hopefully pleasantly surprised. In that regard, I made the right choice, because Please Clap was a wonderfully pleasant surprise that kept unfolding as the show went on. Solo’s way of doing sketch comedy is a bit clowning, a bit improv, and a bit theatre, and it’s full of the exact kind of absurd goofiness that I love most from Fringe comedians. If you love Josh Glanc, you’ll probably at least like Reuben Solo.
So, to give you a sense of what to expect from his show, beware that there’s a lot of audience participation involved, and the front row is NOT safe if you’re shy, terrified, or stubbornly unwilling to cooperate. I was relatively unperturbed in the second row, but I did have to take a call from his mobile in one bit. Anyway, as the audience files in, he’s dancing on stage like nobody’s watching to tracks from Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Missy Higgins, The Cure, and more. There are LOTS of sound cues that land or don’t land on time, a strange creaky barkeep character that sounds like an old man from the American South, a good cop/bad cop routine (involving Soundman) directed at an audience member, an awards ceremony, and to titillate without spoiling too much, Solo does in fact strip down to his jocks and socks (but I can’t for the life of me remember why).
Solo says he’s bringing his show back to Perth later in the year, and that sounds like a great idea. After seeing Please Clap, I am an official fan club member, and I gladly look forward to whatever absolute absurd nonsense he brings our way in the months and years to come.
CICELY BINFORD
Please Clap ran at Four5Nine Bar at Rosemount Hotel from 14 – 18 February. For more information click here.
