GORGE

Theatre production

Written and Performed by Virginia Frankovich and Pheobe Mason

Music by Clovis McEvoy

Premiered at the Auckland Fringe Festival, New Zealand, 2013

Review by James Wenley -

Gorge is probably the show that is the best value for your money in Fringe. The Adult price is $13 and for that you get a small bag of lollies, a token you can use to select from a table a decent sized treat including cupcakes and chocolate logs, they feed during the show, and if you’re still hungry, you are invited to sample the left-overs. You may not want to at show’s end, feeling well and truly full, and maybe even put off the sickly sweet delights. That’s because the play itself has a real push-and-pull of temptation and revulsion, culminating in a disgusting climax that is too delicious to spoil here. The show is loosely based around the premise of a birthday bash for six year old Molly hosted by the bizarre team of Pick and Mix, who want to stuff the children full of treats. From there the show goes down several whimsical pathways, devisors Phoebe Mason and Virginia Frankovich playing several surprising characters. They perfectly capture the greed and petulance of 6-year-olds whipped up by birthday party expectations. Pick and Mix are creepy grotesques. My favourites are the flies, Pheobe and Virginia, who recount stories and fly around looking for the holy grail of cakes. The Old Folks Association is transformed into a candy wonderland, and the creators have made this show with love with inventive props and scenery including candy canes and a giant cake. There’s a fascinating darkness to the show – children play a game where they eat each other’s body parts – and a story about Cobham a corn boy feels like something out of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. While I felt some dissatisfaction that not all plot threads were resolved, from a theatrical and sensory perspective I was more than satiated. A dark and twisted journey through our not-so-sweet desires.