THE SPINSTER AND THE SLUT
Fringe Bar, 26-32 Allen St, Te Aro, Wellington
21/02/2023 - 25/02/2023
Production Details
Creatif Kate & Kristeene Parkes
Kristeene is a geriatric spinster who likes an early night. Kate is a middle-aged slut who likes it every night. Together they explore their polar opposite experiences – meandering their way through this conundrum of existence via comedy, poetry, and storytelling. Sexy, sultry, saucy meets cuddly, comfy, cosy.
Creatif Kate is well-known on the poetry, comedy, and cabaret circuits of Wellington. She’s a poet, producer, performer, photographer, preacher – basically, if it starts with ‘p’ she’s in. She’s filthy, flirty, and funny; sexy, saucy, and sensational; raunchy, ridiculous and ravishing. You won’t believe what comes out of her lips. Kate’s debut solo show “Squirt” won a tour ready award and the sequel “Squirt 2: Cum Again?!” won a marketing award. She was nominated multiple times at the 2021 Wellington Comedy Awards and won “Most Innovative” for her producing.
Kristeene Parkes has been a regular on the Wellington comedy and poetry circuit for the past two years. She is a graduate from the Neil Thorndon School of Comedy, and won the 2022 Wellington Haiku Death Match. She is known for her witty take on getting old and lamenting her complete lack of love life, being the “straight geriatric spinster with the lousy social skills” all the while trying to remove the tons of cat hair from her clothes. She recently had her first novel – ‘Rocking the Spinsterhood’ – published and has dreams of writing more. She is a great story teller who is capable of stretching the truth to the point of absurd exaggeration. She has no filter and grew up in a time when ‘political correctness’ hadn’t been invented, and ‘being woke’ was the state you were in once the alarm went off in the morning.
The Fringe Bar, 26-32 Allen Street, Te Aro
Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 February 2023
6.30pm
BOOK
Content forecast: Misogyny, Misandry
Creatif Kate & Kristeene Parkes
Comedy , Spoken word , Theatre ,
55 mins
A funny, feminist and fearless show for lovers of poetry, comedy and unconventional literature
Review by Wesley Hollis 22nd Feb 2023
Do you feel like something a little bit naughty this evening? Or do you prefer a quiet night in? Well, with The Spinster and the Slut, you get a little bit of both. Kristeene Parkes (who devised the show) stars as the spinster, and Creatif Kate (winner of many awards including Best Regular Show at the Welly Comedy Awards 2022) stars as the slut.
Tempted by the opportunity to explore my wild side and my mild side, as well as the promise of poetry, comedy and storytelling, I head down to Fringe Bar and seat myself at the front. The curtain is drawn back to a Spice Girls track revealing the visually spectacular set, costumes and props. Kristeene has a lace backdrop, a floral nightgown and some knitting. Kate has a sequin backdrop, leopard print lingerie and a collection of dildos. I enjoy how much this contrast tells us about the personality of each performer and what we can expect from the evening.
I am familiar with both Kate and Kristeene as stand up comedians (as well as poets) on the Wellington comedy circuit, so I am expecting more of a comedy focus from the show. But while there are many jokes and examples of wordplay sprinkled throughout, this show focuses more on poetry and storytelling. Rather than a night of big laughs, this is a night of paying careful attention to cleverly crafted words, with a few chuckles thrown in.
Throughout the show, we take a deeper dive into the lives of a spinster and a slut, exploring their differences as well as a few familiarities. The show is presented as a conversation between two unlikely friends. There is an intimate feeling to this performance – as an audience member, I feel as if I have been invited to take part in the conversation, and welcomed into the home of two very interesting people who are as much characters as they are real people.
Kate has a true talent for poetry, from her choice of words to her presentation style. She is bold, raunchy and defiant. Many of her poems are explicit and not for the faint hearted – but open your mind and you might enjoy the wild ride they take you on. I especially enjoy some of the list poems she shares with us.
Kristeene has a more subdued style of presentation, but is an equally talented writer, especially when it comes to storytelling. Some of the most interesting and shocking moments of the night come from the tales she tells. As an introvert, I connect with a lot of what she has to say, though I doubt I would be able to express these moments of my life in such a witty and articulate manner.
This show is funny, feminist and fearless. I highly recommend it to poets and readers of poetry, comedy lovers, fans of unconventional literature, spinsters and sluts everywhere. The show is on the shorter side with a slow pace, but is no less enjoyable for that. I find it a laid back, well put together evening of clever writing and outrageous moments, with a twist at the end that is worth sticking around for. If you find yourself a fan of Kristeene and Kate, they can always be found performing around Wellington at various comedy and poetry related events. They even have books out that relate to tonight’s performance: Kristeene’s Rocking the Spinsterhood and Kate’s Squirt.
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