Comedy capers in Kiev
NEW Zealand comedian Deb Filler is well known for her solo shows that feature a host of characters and humorous accents. Her first show in 1992, Punch Me in the Stomach, was about growing up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, featured 36 characters, while in her 2005 show, Filler Up!, she baked challah onstage, included 27 characters.
Later this month Filler is back in Melbourne with her latest solo show, I Lost it in Kiev, in which she presents another entertaining set of stories and song, complete with dozens of new characters, as she schleps through the backstreets of the world.
Filler says that she is very excited about I Lost it in Kiev, which was performed in Sydney last year soon after its New Zealand premiere, and has also been staged in Canada.
“In the show we visit the best restaurants in Paris, a kibbutz in Israel and we meet Ukrainians in Kiev – not necessarily friendly ones. We meet several characters and weave in and out of Down Under as I tackle the question – where exactly is home?” she says.
I Lost it in Kiev is being staged at Theatreworks in St Kilda on February 28.
Born in New Zealand, Filler moved to New York at the age of 24 and later settled in Toronto, Canada, where she currently lives for much of the year, although she returns regularly to New Zealand.
As an accomplished director, writer, actor, comedian and teacher, Filler’s performance skills have taken her to many parts of the world.
Her first show, Punch Me in the Stomach, opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1992 and toured internationally for 10 years, including sell-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
Filler is currently developing a new show, My German Roots Are Showing, and will hold a public reading in London in June with actress Miriam Margolyes playing the role of her mother.
Another recent project was a documentary film, We Are Here, based on her Polish heritage and her experiences of visiting Poland nine times over the years.
“The biggest surprise was lifting the blanket that was put over Poland’s past and discovering that I am more comfortable in Poland than I ever thought I would be – there’s a reconnection there,” she says.
The film explores the shaky rebirth of Polish Jewish life in the shadow of the Holocaust. It will have its Australian premiere at the Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick on March 1, followed by a Q&A with Filler.
Filler spends a lot of her time teaching at universities in Canada and the United States, as well as undertaking playwright-in-residence positions at theatre companies.
“I have done several residencies around the world and it’s a fantastic way to develop a play,” she says.
“I’m doing more teaching; I’ve been at Brown University in Rhode Island for the past 14 years, at Humber College in Toronto and the national drama school (Toi Whakaari) in New Zealand.”
I Lost it in Kiev is at Theatreworks, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda on February 28 at 5pm and 8pm. Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au.
We are Here screens at the Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick on March 1 at 7pm. Bookings: www.classiccinemas.com.au.
REPORT by Danny Gocs
PHOTO of Deb Filler, who stars in I Lost it in Kiev.
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