IKEA Wars | Conceived and Performed by Kieran Bullock

IKEA Wars

Conceived and performed by Kieran Bullock

Sydney Comedy Festival

Bonda Pavilion

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

I hadn’t been to the Bondi Pavilion since the massive renovations and what a venue it is now, hosting Sydney Comedy Festival shows.

IKEA Wars is the creation of Kieran Bullock who pits two comedy performers against each other in a race to each assemble an IKEA product in front of the live audience.

According to the media release, “the challenge is simple: rip open the flatpack and build the piece of furniture before your opponent does. Is it a race? Yes. Is it a game show? Also yes! A plethora of chaotic sabotages are on hand to ensure that the road to glory is paved with pitfalls.”

In this case the item was three trays in a frame on wheels and the combatants were Sam Wade and the less gender-defined (“they/them”) improv specialist Jim Fishwick.

Apparently Wade had built four IKEA bookcases in that week and possessed the supreme confidence of an American athlete. He even brought his own set of tools in case the supplied IKEA ones were substandard. He attended to every detail to ensure victory. That is, every detail except for a crucial one.

It ended up being a battle of gender energy. Wade was so confident that he didn’t bother to read the instructions, while Fishwick, with more female sensibilities, carefully followed the clear instructions and won by a significant margin, embarrassing the more alpha Wade. I even wondered if Wade had actually built the bookshelves himself because he looks like the third son in a wealthy family.

While it was happening, Bullock kept up the commentary.

It was a fun show.