Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA

Friday 8th September 9pm 2023, Pact Theatre

Clockfire Theatre Company bring PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA to the Pact Theatre for Sydney Fringe.

Conceived and directed by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Bathurst, they perform the show along with Christopher Samuel Carroll. This absurdist comic and engaging production is finely tuned with fine art visuals and a surreal sensibility. 

Carroll is the lost soul who finds refugee in a monastery when nuns, while fishing catch/hook him by the cheek. They seem to impose their regime on this man. And the group go fishing together. While fishing the seas, their bounty becomes too much which leads to more relationship mayhem and sexual relations. The climax has the sense of an orgy to the point of regurgitation. 

The program proclaims: “a visual physical absurdist comedy which takes our notion of looking for love Into fantastical territory “

The absurdity combines fishing the sea with the metaphor for fishing for intimacy. I didn’t feel a sense of looking for love but of seeking and finding lust. The preamble also mentioned surtitles which I may have missed, which is unfortunate as quite a bit of the dialogue was in French. Those in the audience who know the language laughed often.  

While I do have a different interpretation to the preamble, this is the beauty of absurdist work. Like reading a work of art one is open to their own interpretation. The pleasure of PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA is experiencing the choices made by the creators and in the delivery of the production. One is open to investigate their own response to a expression of ideas.

 This cast are a finely accomplished ensemble. Their stage craft and creativity are exceptional and a joy to experience. I may not have connected with all the concepts being portrayed but I was thoroughly engaged and loved discovering the fine visuals and the incorporated stage techniques. All three cast embodied their roles to create commanding and compelling characters. 

Kudos to Sound Designer Daniel Herten, composer Mary Rapp and lighting Designer Victor Kalka. Their impressive skills created the perfect audio landscape and visual imagery to accompany the quirky and electric performances. 

If theatre that is more than left of centre is your dish of delight, then the catch of the Fringe is PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA

https://www.clockfiretheatre.com/

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