Zany is expected for Fringe Festivals and a dysfunctional couple, nuns and a very shiny lawnmower does make for potential zaniness. However this act lacks oomph because of the need for some good pace and energy. The two artists have unrefined but solid trapeze skills and the solo trapeze act do express first love well. There are also some clever and breath-taking holds and catches in the later duo trapeze act, which expresses their relationship frustration.

However the acting skills sadly do not match the trapeze skills and the dialogue delivery is often stilted and not well projected.  The beer bottle juggling skills are also not strong, though the concept within the story has potential. Overall the act needs more work.

This show is the early part of a double bill at the Regent on Broadway for the opening of the first Palmy Fringe Festival. The act and the audience are on the stage as the height is needed for the trapeze and silk work. This works and the performance is suitably intimate despite being in a vast proscenium arch theatre.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Last night, as part of the Wellington NZ Fringe Arts Festival, A Guy, a Girl, and a Lawnmower opened at BATS Theatre in The Heyday Dome.  The production by the Boomtown Okrabats features a combination of comedy, circus, slap stick and storytelling.

As we follow a relationship from a couple’s first meeting through its lifecycle, questions are raised about the decisions people make. Sometimes it would seem we can be quite absurd, testing the patience of our chosen partners.

The production begins with the appearance of two nuns (the couple in disguise) who narrate the story focusing on the key moments in their relationship. These nuns reappear at the turning points in the couple’s lives, guiding the audience through their back story.

The strength of the performance is definitely in the aerial work, where they both demonstrate well-choreographed skills that are both powerful and smooth in transitions. They are good as aerial soloists and display great technique together. There are times, though, when I feel the two performers lack confidence in their other skills. They are hesitant in their own ability when acting and dancing, and soft in the delivery of their lines.

This is a production that centres on a good idea but needs more work to recognise its full scope. For me the script needs further attention. The stakes need to be raised in the deterioration of the relationship, increasing the tension between the couple as conflicts develop. This is a partnership going wrong, and the audience needs to ‘see’ that happening, not just be ‘told’ about it.

The lawnmower is an excellent idea. It should be made clearer it is the catalyst that causes the final unravelling of the relationship and needs a stronger emphasis. It arrives on the stage at the midway point and, given its significance, it should appear earlier as it could be the main antagonist in the story. 

Overall though this work has a lot of potential to be reworked and taken to a higher level. On another note it is also a pity there was no programme. Leaving the theatre I overheard audience members questioning who the artists were, where they were from – and wanting to know a bit about the production and their intentions with the work. I’d have liked to know that too.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer