An ideal show for your favourite club to hire!

CRITIC'S RAVE ABOUT RODNEY!!!

"Pure gold, this show certainly gets my respect." db magazine.

"A+ for Rodney!"

INDEPENDENT WEEKLY A+!!!!

When US comedian Rodney Dangerfield died in 2004 he was probably best remembered in Australia for two roles: 1980’s ‘Caddyshack’ alongside Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, and Oliver Stone’s ultra-violent 1994 flick, ‘Natural Born Killers’ in which Dangerfield bravely played a leering, abusive, incestuous father to the pert Juliette Lewis. Dangerfield’s decidedly low-brow shtick as the foul-mouthed misogynist was developed through decades of hard work on clubs and on TV variety shows such as Johnny Carson and Dean Martin.

Matt Byrne is well known to Adelaide audiences. His considerable history in theatre and comedy give him the confidence to approach a demanding one-man show like this. In the role of Dangerfield, Byrne’s pliant face provides good mimicry of the late comedian. But it is in the rapid-fire delivery of Dangerfield’s one-liners that Byrne shines. Switching between Dangerfield reciting his life story, to Dangerfield on stage (not that there’s much difference!), and with a minimum of props, Byrne captures the essence of the character.

While we’ve all heard the jokes before – it is the poignant tying together of the neglected child, Jacob Cohen, with his later alter-ego, the crass Dangerfield that gives the show its depth. Matt Byrne clearly isn’t Rodney Dangerfield, and the faux American accent sometimes goes awry, but as Dangerfield himself would have said, please, somebody, give the guy some respect!

Maxims Wine Bar, until March 22.

***** A+ - Peter C. Pugsley.

 

DB MAGAZINE

Rodney Dangerfield might've died just over four years ago, aged 82, but through the unique and astute impersonation skills of local theatre identity, Matt Byrne, he lives again with 'Caddyshack & Other Dangerfields.!

Renowned for his crude, over-the-top wisecracking and belligerent one-liners, found in movies such as Caddyshack and Back To School, Dangerfield may never have earned much respect from the movie high-browed and critical side of the industry, but as revealed here there was certainly a lot more to the man than met the eye.

For an hour-and-a-half Byrne takes on the role of Dangerfield and passionately tells of the comic legend's rise from poverty to a life of money, heavy drinking, marijuana use and depression.

Told pretty much in chronological order, Byrne could have easily taken the Wikipedic path and simply rattled off the whole diatribe of facts and hearsay; but here's the twist.

By meticulously recreating every twitch, shrug and tug of the tie, Byrne not only presents a comprehensive biograpical account of an otherwise overlooked entire life, but manages to respectively turn this show into an actual autobiographical telling, by cleverly creating an almost seamless script, largely made up of Dangerfield's best known gags.

It's here that fans, and even those not in the know will take great delight in reliving some of the most memorable and off-quoted verbal uppercuts in comedy history.

And for those Caddyshack afficionados out there, you're going to absolutely revel in Byrne's fast-forwarded re-enactment of almost every one Dangerfield's scenes from the movie.

Pure gold, this show certainly gets my respect.

Maxim’s Wine Bar, Feb 25-27, March 1, 4-6, 8, 11-13, 15, 18-20, 22.

***** - Steve Jones.

 

THE ADVERTISER

MATT Byrne has chosen to premiere his latest tribute show, Caddyshack & Other Dangerfields, about comic legend Rodney Dangerfield at this year's Fringe Festival.

Byrne is convincing enough in his portrayal of Dangerfield. Small snippets of song and sound effects are used as a prompt for Byrne to launch into an aspect of Dangerfield’s life, be it his school days, married life, family life, or his experiences as a performer.

He manages to meld many of Dangerfield’s classic jokes into the history of his life as he battles for respect in the entertainment industry and in life in general.

Byrne interacts well with the crowd, and while his faux American accent wavered at times, Byrne should further grow into the role as he performs more shows.

If you are a Rodney Dangerfield fan this show will satisfy. If you aren’t too familiar with Dangerfield’s work, you should still enjoy a laugh at some of his timeless jokes.

Maxim’s Wine Bar, Feb 25-27, March 1, 4-6, 8, 11-13, 15, 18-20, 22.

*** Rating: 3 Stars - Ben Hyde.

 

ADELAIDE THEATRE GUIDE

"Local theatre producer/director/performer Matt Byrne, on the other hand, deserves plenty of respect for his portrayal of this clever, complex and very funny man.

Byrne uses the intimate space effectively, moving around and engaging the audience, using all of Dangerfield's trademark nervous mannerisms.

Byrne disappears into the role and captures the funnyman's spirit, and that is what gives this show its spark.

Lovers of old-school American standup should also consider making their way to Norwood to catch the show, there are plenty of laughs to be had from some classic material."

*** Rating: 3.5 Stars - Jamie Wright.

 

SUNDAY MAIL

The prolific Matt Byrne channels the 1980s icon, the boggle-eyed, no-respect-muttering Rodney Dangerfield.

The show is a one-man tribute to all things Dangerfield and is told in the first person _ the man on stage talking about himself, his life and demons, all the while dropping the oneliners that made him so famous.

Not having seen the actor's 1980 cult movie Caddyshack and having only a passing familiarity with his personality, there was no better way to learn about the rude and crude comic than standup style.

With highlights from Caddyshack and plenty of oneliners, the audience was kept laughing with Byrne's impersonation skills.

*** Rating: 3 Stars - Rosetta Mastrantone.

RIP IT UP

Adelaide audiences will know Matt Byrne Media for their wonderful satirical ensemble productions on facets of Australian society. Caddyshack And Other Dangerfields presents the talented Matt Byrne solo, dedicating his time to the memory of Rodney Dangerfield - to show respect for one who had done so much for others. This is essentially 90 minutes of Byrne being a stand-up comic telling stories from Dangerfield’s life with jokes coming at a mile minute at a relentless pace – a big call for anyone. He must be commended for the sheer volume of jokes noticeably in the second half, and the neat use of musical inserts to break up the vignettes, to properly exploit the more poignant moments.

- Michael Coglan.