Cake begins as a parody of Youtube ‘fame’ and reaches further into a beautiful anarchic space of romance, sex, and death.
Playing to a deservedly packed house, Caitlin Lavery’s character walks out onto a Dexter-ish stage with plastic sheeting hanging on the walls. She begins to tell the story of falling for a perfectly cooked cheesecake. She admits they can never consummate their relationship – theirs exists in a higher plain of love beyond the physical – but all the while her hunger grows.
Absurd without ever tipping over into random, Caitlin’s writing and performance had some wonderful storytelling. On the small stage, elements of physical comedy were gently folded in, such as the hilarious, delicate shape Caitlin would perch herself into in order to big-spoon her moreish beau.
Rising over the hour, Caitlin’s intellectual pursuit of love eventually gives way to wanton gastronomic coitus. This isn’t degustation, but glorious ecstatic annihilation. Cake is a fine example of the sweet delights Melbourne Fringe can offer. If you serenade one dessert this festival, make it this one.
Cake
The Jury Room – Courthouse Hotel, Corner Errol and Queensberry Streets, North Melbourne
Performance: Thursday 20 September 2018 – 6.00pm
Season: 20 – 22 September 2018 (closed)
Information: www.melbournefringe.com.au
Image: Caitlin Lavery (supplied)
Review: David Collins