MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2008
My Year Without Sex
2 April 2008
Northcote Town Hall
There is a lot to
admire about My Year Without Sex. There’s a lot to enjoy as well, but it doesn’t come
together as an engaging story.
Any show with a giant pink suitcase design has to be
worth a look. And who knew a giant prop could hold so many gingham and faux
antique secrets! The simple and very clever set and costume design brings a
whimsical and intriguing mood to the work.
Jessica Gerger’s top notch performance is what holds this
show together. She plays all the characters – even when they’re interacting
with each other. Keep an eye out for this woman. She is a relaxed and able
clown who lovingly creates the oddest of folk and let’s the audience see the
best of them. Gerger knows her craft and it’s a joy to watch her perform.
The script was developed from characters and scenarios
developed by Gerger and director Beverly Blankenship (who is also her mum). The
unfortunately sexless Mrs Tickletext is
based on a 17th century fictional Mr Tickletext. Granger and Blankenship gave nine other writers
(including Aphra Behn) free licence to write any scene they wished in any
style. The results were arranged, manipulated and sorted into the final script.
The multiple voices and concepts are very clear. Perhaps
too clear. The piece is more a series of strangely connected sketches, rather
than Mrs T’s journey. This makes the character and her holiday very confusing.
There are some great moments and terrific jokes. I loved the Jewish Museum and
the purple gingham and floral stuffed crucifix, but these gems don’t present a
consistent character. From the beginning I couldn’t figure out why this out-of-her-time
woman was on a tour in the first place, let alone why she left it and what made
her keep going rather than just return home to Pemberton? She is horrified by
meeting prostitutes in one scene, but grabs a joint in the next. She can’t
believe that her companion doesn’t wear a brassiere, has no understanding of a
g-string is, but was happily playing in a gay German sex club and (for reasons
totally unknown) had a collection of drugs in her bum.
And then there’s the title. There’s one early scene that
has her having sex with her, now passed, husband. This was well written, perfectly
performed and showed us so much character - but that’s about it for relevant
sex. There’s a beautiful reveal near the end, but why this women is obsessed
with sex (or her lack of it) isn’t clear and her behaviour and choices don’t seem to relate back to it either.
This is a work where the process is outshining the
product. The character is original and fabulous (I want to see more of her), Granger’s
performance is a winner, but the final product is confusing to the point of
frustrating.
This review appeared onAussieThearte.com
