A DINGO ATE MY BABY Producers Hotel Until 12 Mar 2017 Review by Paige Mulholland “A Dingo Ate My Baby” is, as you would expect from the name, a bit of a wild ride. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes on opening night (ten minutes less than expected), it’s short, sharp, shiny, and very Aussie. Louisa Wall’s use of the loop pedal, a variety of instruments and percussive objects, and an impressive number of props is skilful and entertaining, but at times the show is a little too chaotic. The story begins with none other than Azaria Chamberlain, the a-dingo-ate-my-baby baby. For the first vignette of the show, the audience follows Azaria who, after being raised by dingos (and dressed for the part in a dingo onesie), goes on a search for her mother. This scene was a highlight; complemented with Wall’s creative use of the loop pedal, and a few low-budget, high-impact props, the story was enjoyable and exciting. After this point, the audience meets Baby, a two-year-old young mother (nope, not a young mother of a two-year-old, a two-year-old mother), Kathleen, the home baker who really just wants a bun in her oven, and Luna, the (for some reason) Australian woman who lives on the moon. Other than the vague underlying theme of motherhood, there seems to be no real connection between these characters, and it feels like as soon as the audience becomes interested in one person the show moves on to another. Wall’s musical accompaniment is witty and quirky, and is probably the strongest element of the show. Her performance is a mix of traditional theatre, spoken word, rap, song and instrumental, and, run as a one-woman show, the amount she manages to squeeze in is notable. Her song about unusual baby names seemed to be a crowd favourite, earning many giggles from the small audience. This is weird, wacky, and certainly a work-in-progress, but isn’t that the epitome of Fringe theatre? “A Dingo Ate My Baby” is a short and quirky way to start your night; you may be left scratching your head, but hey, at least a dingo didn’t eat your baby. Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)