What a wonderful show. A Song for the Ugly Kids by Dan Musgrove and Natalie Medlock, directed by Barnaby Frederick, takes the form of various character comedy sketches weaving in and around a couple named Dan and Nat. Set at Nat and Dan’s kitchen table, they begin the show by introducing the audience to themselves and their relationship, eventually taking us on a hilarious whirlwind journey of the lives of fortune-tellers Frederick and Wanda, Australians Anna and Jamie, Jane and Bob, Charlie, Brendan and The Bird head.
A Song for the Ugly Kids is a unique and enjoyable comedy experience. The characters are superbly created and wonderfully executed. The performances by both Musgrove and Medlock were excellent; both of them are clearly natural comedic actors. Musgrove was able to move seamlessly between the high energy Brendan and the faux-sombre nature of Charlie the storyteller, as well as into the many other characters, moods and accents that made the show so memorable. It was an amazing show to watch as Musgrove and Medlock maintained both their energy and the definition between characters very clearly throughout. Medlock’s performance was bold and outrageous as Bob the paedophile and hilarious as Anna, the Australia’s Next Top Model hopeful with a twist. The pair share a wonderful rapport with each other and had the audience on their side from the beginning. The transitions between each of the character sketches were done well, as were the costume changes, which were fluid and discreet or worked into the show. The show made use of various simple costumes and a few props.
The performance was well polished and ran smoothly. I highly recommend catching this show while you still can. It is a fantastic, unique comedy festival show. I very much look forward to seeing what Musgrove and Medlock do next.
A Song for the Ugly Kids
Written and performed by Dan Musgrove and Natalie Medlock
Directed by Barnaby Fredric
BATS Theatre, 19-23 May