The songs of Tom Lehrer make wonderful fodder for any cabaret performance due to the satirist’s acerbic wit, delicious ironies and observations of our ordinary lives.

Nearly 50 years on, the subjects of his songs are still strangely relevant and lend themselves to the idiom of black humour, whether politically correct or not: the boy scout movement, pollution, US foreign policy, racial tolerance, pornography, and infectious diseases. Ironically, it was in Adelaide in 1960 when Lehrer was to make an appearance at the Adelaide Festival that five of the satirist’s songs were banned ‘for the preservation of public morality, good manner and decorum’.

Tomfoolery was the 1980 revue created by a young Cameron Mackintosh and featured a series of loosely linked songs written by the satirist with a brief explanation of each song.  Directed by Michael Fuller, this production initially premiered at the 2004 Melbourne Comedy Festival and now makes its Adelaide premiere as part of the Adelaide Fringe.

Featuring 23 songs that range in style from waltz to tango and from samba to Dixieland, the cast of Catherine Campbell, Hew Parham and Sean Weatherly with Adam Lutley on piano relish in the material bringing such Lehrer classics as 'Poisoning Pigeons In The Park', 'I got it From Agnes', 'The Vatican Rag' and 'The Masochism Tango' to life.

Sean Weatherly does a remarkable job with 'The Elements' in act one, whilst Catherine Campbell steals the limelight in act two with her ‘rickety tickety tin’ performance of 'The Irish Ballad' complete with a bottle of gin, incredible breath control, and two Irish dancers.

Technically, this production is simply stage in Adelaide’s La Boheme cabaret bar and Bob Weatherly makes the most of the intimate surrounds with simple but effective lighting and a well balanced mix of sound between the performers and the piano.

Tomfoolery is a welcome addition in the busy Adelaide Fringe line-up. The gorgeous and intimate surrounds of La Boheme made for a simply entertaining evening that was enjoyed by the audience and cast alike.