Rogues So Banished

Suffice it to say...Billy (one of the three characters) will always be etched into my brain. The storytelling was top-notch. It took me a minute to acclimate but once I found my bearings it was one hell of a ride. The actor bounced between the characters seamlessly. This man can spin a tale and is dripping with love for his craft. If you are someone who sees "Trigger Warning" and says sign me up, then you don't want to miss this.

Paul Case is doing a really hard thing in Rogues So Banished and he is doing it well. I can't imagine how much each of these performances takes out of him as he stands alone at the front of an intimate theater space to embody people of questionable character and passionate emotions who come to a bad end. Paul manages to make each of the three characters distinct in voice and physicality and plays them in quick succession even during heated dialogue.

I enjoyed the performance very much, but this won't be everybody's cup of tea. This is an adult horror story about transported convicts in Australia who get themselves into dire straights. They are not nice people; one definitely wants to hold them at arms length. Yet they are human. They have feelings the audience can identify with even as they take actions that offend the civilized sensibility.

This performance took a lot of courage and theatrical skill. It touches upon a piece of problematic history that we may be peripherally aware of but probably choose to ignore. I wonder why Paul decided to tell this story. I am also glad he did.

Fantastic show - my partner's choice as I'm not necessarily a horror fan but loved it every bit as much as he did. Brutal, visceral but most importantly beautifully written and told.

Excellently told and enacted gruesome tale of the old Australian outback. Definitely recommended.

One man and three escaped convicts in New South Wales. Paul Case brings to life the visceral story of the men's quest for freedom in an unforgiving landscape. Well worth adding to your list of shows at this year's festival.

Rogues So Banished (****)
We heard this story of the travails of three escaped convicts in the jungles of 19th century New South Wales penal colony right in small room with only eight audience members. The small crowd made it somehow like a group around a campfire hearing a ghost story—except this seemed like an absolutely true story of deprivation and resourcefulness. The text, his bare chested visage, and his movements made the story come alive with nary a dull moment.


This is the 6th most enjoyable of the 32 shows I have seen so far at the Fringe this year. I hope to see more than 150 this year. You may see my other three-sentence reviews, in order from most enjoyable to worst, at my non-commercial website: https://fringefan.com/

Paul Case embodies three distinct characters, weaving their fates together to culminate in a final scene that takes them out-of-time. Very folk horror indeed.

The scripting is tight: a one-man show rendering a tale that seamlessly includes flashbacks. It is also steeped in the language of the time, which takes the viewer into the elsewhere.

The tale is challengingly visceral at points; Case is compelling throughout.