One man, two Fringe shows, no swear words

Comedian Steve Davis is bringing two new comedy shows to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe and although they would both be considered risqué, neither of them use swear words.

“I’ve been reviewing comedy for decades and performing it for the past few years, and I’ve seen too much lazy comedy where dropping an F-bomb is done to get a cheap laugh,” says Steve.

“I have plenty of expletives in my vocabulary, I’m not a prude, but I think there’s more of a challenge to get audiences to laugh when you’re not leaning on the crutch of swear words.”

Innuendo Everywhere: Becky Blake and Steve Davis do it, is an homage to the bawdy writers of Are You Being Served and the Carry On films, says Steve.

“They knew how to get a laugh by using double entendres; we’d think they just said something filthy but we soon find out that was only in our minds,” muses Steve.

“When you’re in a playful mindset, this simple form of wordplay is great fun and Becky and I are hoping to get the balance right between gasps and laughs.

“There’s always the risk of being too blunt or too obscure, and that’s the challenge of this show.”

Becky Blake will be on keyboard with Steve on a ukulele borrowed from his mentor and director, Glynn Nicholas. The songs will be intermixed with a series of skits.

The show runs from February 20 to March 1, at the Duke of Brunswick Hotel in Gilbert Street.

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/innuendo-everywhere-becky-blake-and-steve-davis-do-it-af2020

2 Cats Drove Into The Cuckoo’s Nest is a show about celebrity and celebrities in which Steve is reuniting with his Fringe partner from 2019, Ralf Hadzic.

Hadzic, who is well known as the man who played Fat Cat for 17 years, has a limo company that’s been sought out by visiting celebrities for decades.

“Ralf’s had just about everyone in his backseat from Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton to Beyonce and Jay-Z,” says Steve.

“Although there are strict rules about confidentiality, Ralf’s found a way to craft a series of stories about antics that celebrities get up to, from unrealistic demands to peculiar fetishes, along with eye-popping normality!

“Ralf and I also toured the USA in January to gather stories to feed into the show by being backstage at Madison Square Garden with Billy Joel’s friends and family to being invited into Paul Okenfold’s exclusive Grammys after party,” reflects Steve.

"While we were keeping our eye out for the king of glitter, Hans, we bumped into fellow Adelaidean entertainment writer, Matt Gilbertson, as can be seen in the attached video."

The show contains a mix of stand up, stories, and video snippets, at the Historian Hotel from February 17-26.

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/2-cats-drove-into-the-cuckoo-s-nest-af2020

ENDS