It's the first time that I've had the thought after the show that I'd like to go for coffee or lunch or something with the performer, in this case Gavin Roach, and chat with him about the show and also about how much of it may or may not be strictly autobiographical.
And part of that is that the ideas the show brings up are endlessly fascinating, but also because Roach, as the character of Felix, seems to be the kind of guy you could do that with.
He's a little bit of a slob (as evidenced by the myriad of fast food detritus scattered around the stage), a bit of a general mess when it comes to everything else, but there's a definite sense of (somewhat burpy) charisma there, not to mention a sense a pathos towards the end of the performance... and he feels like a real person, not just some impossible gay stereotype.
The things about the show that feel the most real are also the things, for the most part, that are the funniest... or maybe it was just that I could relate to a whole bunch of them because he was "speaking my language".
And the intimate nature of the Bakehouse's Studio Theatre (not to mention the fact that I was in the front row) should have made it feel as though we were having a private one-on-one chat with Felix... which is possibly the only thing that bothered me about the whole show. Either Roach mostly plays his performance to people further back in the theatre, or else over everybody's head, but eye contact was definitely missing, with the front row if nowhere else.
Felix is curled up on his couch and talking directly to the audience... but I didn't feel like he was connecting with us... with his words, yes... with his eyes, not so much.
Also, this definitely seems to be the year in which Fringe boys flash their undies during performances... in this case, the gay boys' favourite, Aussiebums.
All in all, it was a very pleasant end to my 2013 Adelaide Fringe.
Current Mood:
No comments:
Post a Comment