Perth Voice Interactive

NED: Ideas You’ll Never Have is a parody of the popular TED talks.

TED is a US-based non-profit organisation devoted to the lofty notion of Ideas Worth Spreading.

People like Bill Clinton win TED awards for their 15-minute oratical flourishes on subjects as diverse as health for Rwanda to graphic design for newspapers. The clothes worn are urban cool, the microphone’s invisible, the stage beautifully, moodily lit and the ever-moving speakers invariably hip, with a little nerd thrown in.

It’s all grist to the mill for comedian Dylan Cole, right, who combines theatre, stand-up and motivational speaking to poke fun at the worthiness of it all.

He plays three speakers who each have 15 minutes to share their knowledge and insight on their chosen subjects.

In this case the Science of Possibility, Creating the Creation of Creativity and Being Successful, happy and generally alright through achieving your goals, aspirations and being true to yourself.

“The razzle-dazzle spin of the self-help and feel-good genre, seen frequently in speeches by the Dalai Lama or written about in best-selling books…is highlighted,” Cole says in his Perth Fringe blurb.

“It parodies intellect and political spin, whilst demonstrating how powerful words and ideas can be, if said in the right way by the right person.”

NED, Ideas You’ll Never Have is on at the Pleasure Garden, James Street, Northbridge February 18–22. Tix at http://www.fringeworld.com.au.

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FROM Brazilians to full body waxing, botox, and a raft of indignities in between there’s no limit to what women—and men—will endure in the search for beauty.

Skin Deep is a whimsical musical on a serious subject, a look at the beauty industry through the eyes of three beauticians.

One of the trio didn’t hesitate to get “skin deep” in preparation for the show.

“I actually had a Brazilian, for research, because I’m the victim in that scene,” Lindsay McNab says, her voice shuddering at the pain, and a tinge of embarrassment at her admission.

WA Academy of Performing Arts graduate Cynthia Fenton had always wondered what secrets beauticians held behind the treatment room door so she set about looking for answers.

What she found went into the mix as she and award-winning director Tyler Jacob Jones collaborated to bring Skin Deep to the stage.

“It appears the beautician often knows intimate details and secrets of people’s lives and bodies that are rarely shared beyond their walls. The stories will resonate with anyone who has stepped into that crazy world—or just looked on in bewilderment,” Fenton says.

The experiences of the women are told in a tongue-in-cheek frolic through some cringeworthy moments—through amusing parodies of pop songs by musical director Timothy How.

The stories are real, but the names have been changed, as they say.

“It’s funny and nonsense, with great stories,” McNab says.

A middle-aged woman (McNab), is anxious about her overgrown undergrowth, and heads to the salon, and a domineering mother schemes to make her daughter the standout of the school ball.

Meanwhile, a Hollywood starlet considers dramatic facial surgery, and a manic lesbian tries frantically to keep all her lovers in line.

“The stories are told from the point-of-view of beauticians. It’s a send up of ourselves and the lengths we go to to look good,” McNab says.

Skin Deep stars WAAPA graduate Cynthia Fenton, Grace Edwards and Lindsay McNab who are aged 20 and 40: “And I’m not quite 60 yet,” McNab says. As more Australians head down the slippery slope towards cosmetic surgery Skin Deep asks: “What does the future hold for the humble beauty therapist?”

Skin Deep is on at The Hellenic Club of WA, 75 Stirling Street, Perth until February 15. Tickets at http://www.fringeworld.com.au 

by JENNY D’ANGER