Rural New Zealand comedy at its best. Fred, from Featherston, is attempting to be the number one person from his town at everything he can think of. And he can think of many things to be good at, taxidermy and male modelling among them.

The show starts with Fred acting as the usher, moving the audience around until he is satisfied with their positions. He then takes us through the highs, lows (and occasional wardrobe malfunctions) of his various attempts to become world famous in his town.

Most of the stories swing back to his rather complicated family, containing many brothers and sisters, only four of whom survived being cut off his back. Or his predisposition for getting himself into compromising situations late at night after partying too hard.

Fred loves to talk and will address members of the audience by name throughout the show. But in the end Fred learns that perhaps being the best at everything is not all it’s cracked up to be. 

Alexander is a talented actor, bringing his characters to life fully, never falling out of character whatever happens. Fred from Featherston is presented as part of the Alexander Sparrow Season. He will be presenting several shows staring various characters over the next week (including Donald Trump and the Marquise De Sade) and is well worth going to see. 

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The first time I saw Alexander Sparrow on stage was when he inhabited the highly controversial character of the Marquis de Sade. He took on the persona and views of a largely vilified character and made him if not acceptable at least interesting, and even entertaining.

Now, in his characterisation of ‘Fred from Featherston’, on his first night at the Cavern Bar, he takes a not exactly likeable character and gifts the audience with an irresistibly true-to-life portrayal of Fred: larger than life, gruff-voiced and redolent with familial anecdotes which serve his main theme as Featherston’s former … whatever.

What this reviewer appreciates most is that this performance piece is not necessarily designed or played for laughs. Fred, in some ways a reminder of Barry Humphries’ character Sir Les Patterson, does not put laughs first. He’s cheerfully vulgar and his monologue is true to character, with whatever that brings to the story.  He is unashamedly himself – like it or lump it. 

We don’t often recognise black humour. Sparrow is good at it – “I’m a Number 1 Jam Jar Collector” he declares, as a preface to telling us he’s preserved a relative. There’s surrealism too – when the monologue turns to moths.

We are held – sometimes bemusedly – captive for the 45 minutes of Sparrow’s performance. His delivery techniques – short sentences, minimal movement, pause, and repeated lines – skilfully capture Fred’s eagerness to tell us about the “somewhat compromising positions” he’s found himself in.

Alexander Sparrow is impressive physically. He’s tall, big framed, and blonde(d). Add to that cleverness, charm and a considerable talent for inhabiting off-the-wall characters and you have a recipe for entertainment.

Sparrow’s performance is preceded by a short burst from Katie Boyle’s Patricia Goldsack, who tours with her Brothel and Swingers’ Club. In amongst safety formalities, we are regaled with references to deep heat and food porn. She gains audience rapport with ease, and some of them are happy to be messed with.  

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