Suitcase Royale in Zombatland: Fringe Review
Comedy Review: Adam Hartley and Mark Holland
Fusing junkyard blues and theatrical comedy, Suitcase Royale in Zombatland explores the plight of the three surviving residents of an Australian caravan park infested with mutant wombats.
After gaining a lot of admirers last year with their show The Ballad of Backbone Joe, the Melbourne trio are on top form again with Zombatland. Musically, Suitcase Royale are so accomplished that it is unclear whether they are musicians doing comedy or vice versa, such is the depth of their talents. The rootsy, darkly white trash sonic interludes punctuate a loosely plot-driven, surreal piece in which the actors’ enjoyment of their own work is shared by the audience.
The show’s unapologetically DIY set feels right at home amid Pleasance Two’s dilapidated, haunted barn ambience (a wayward crumpet on opening night manages to knock a stage light from its fixtures, falling alarmingly close to the visibly concerned performers), and the lack of budget does nothing to quell the sense of spectacle.
Zombatland is definitely not to be missed and seems destined for cult status among fans of the disorderly and enemies of health and safety. Genuinely impressive.
