Sam Simmons: Not A People Person

A floor littered with bread and phallic items, and animal claws adorning the stage, means you know you’ve been to one of Aussie surrealist Sam Simmons’ shows. Harnessing the gloriously madcap spirit of the likes of Reeves and Mortimer, the Brighton, Adelaide native and apparently former zoologist’s relentless energy and embracing of all things awkward proved sometimes obscure. Still, Simmons’ skill lay in grafting blunt slapstick and silly songwriting to a resolutely out-there internal logic that made for a brilliantly odd, courageously daft denouement. Part hyperactive child, part embittered curmudgeon, this was a distinctive voyage into hilarious, wonderful weirdness.

The Old Market, 3 October 2016

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