Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Magical Mystery Comedy Coach Tour

With every tour being different venues and comedians, it is something that will have you returning year after year.

Presented by: Ha Ha Comedy Pub Crawl & English Irish & Scottish Comedy Awards
Reviewed : 5th March 2017

As the roar of Clipsal echoed through the east end of Adelaide an exuberant Scottish host greeted the group of excited day trippers and ushered us between buses. So began our Magical Mystery Comedy Coach Tour with the best part being we had no idea where we were going or who we were seeing.

First stop was the Scenic Hotel (Norton Summit) with Irish comedian Andrew Stanley kicking off with a bang when my deer in the headlights husband mistakenly answered with the incorrect number of years we had been married and quickly corrected himself. This gave Andrew enough ammunition to carry out the best impro comedy routine I have seen this Fringe season, if not ever.

Before I launch into the second venue, I will say that it takes a really good event manager to admit when a place hasn’t pulled their weight and our host did exactly that. So skipping over the extremely long wait for lunch at the Uraidla Hotel (Uraidla), the comedy talents of UK Comedian of the Year, Josh Pugh were both  hilarious and engaging.

Third stop was the picturesque Artwine (Woodside) where the sunshine and beautiful grassed area made for the perfect place to pull up a picnic rug and listen to Scotland’s Comedian of the Year, Rosco McLelland, and whilst not as engaging as Andrew and Josh, it was still a solid set from Rosco.

Stop four was by far an experience with the group walking amongst the grape vines from Artwine to Bird in the Hand Winery (Woodside).Through the barn doors was an intimate setting amongst the wine barrels to enjoy the last comedian of the day and Ireland’s Comedian of the Year, Steve Bennett. To say they saved the best till last is an understatement and with a flawless set, Steve ended the comedy with what I can only describe as the best song ever.

The drive back to Adelaide was exactly what you can imagine from a bus full of people who have been drinking and laughing all day. Yes that’s right, a good old fashioned sing a long and a jovial yell of “let’s keep drinking at the nearest pub when we get off the bus” New friends were made, fun was had, drinks flowed and comedians were not just the guy with the mike but the guys chilling out with you on the bus.

This takes Fringe to a new level with the opportunity for people to see great venues that you wouldn’t usually see at Fringe. Be prepared however that it has the potential to be a costly excursion depending on the venues you find yourself at. For us it was meals priced between $20- $25 for lunch and drinks at two of the four venues.

Special mention to the bus drivers as well as it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun between venues had it not been for such quality service. Alan Anderson, a fantastic comedian and our exuberant  host for the day, did a wonderful job of organising what can only be described as an experience rather than a show.

With every tour being different venues and comedians, it is something that will have you returning year after year.

Review by Tara Forbes

Rating: 5/5

Venue: Starts at ETC Balcony at East Terrace Continental
Dates: Monday 13th March 2017
Duration: 6 hours
Tickets: $50- $55

Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/magical-mystery-comedy-coach-tour

 

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