Adelaide Fringe 2012
The Farce of Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery
Aleela Creatives
Genre: Mainstream Theatre
Venue:
The Arch
Holden St Theatres
Hindmarsh
Festival: Adelaide Fringe
Low Down
Welcome to Sodom, the city of sin! The clever cast from Aleela Creatives brings this ‘delightful’ tale of self-satisfying pleasure to Adelaide. The 1684 Earl of Rochester’s play full of satire towards Catholicism and the sanctity of marriage dabbles in the more darker and naughtier side of life. Poking fun at social order, role-reversal and female prowess; this show is not for those who still refer to it as the “C” word!
Review
Set in The Arch of the Holden St Theatres, director Stephen Warren tackles the hot topics of homosexuality, incest and masturbation (to name a few) in a rollicking romp-like fashion; blending burlesque, dance, singing and placards all delivered mainly in classic Elizabethan language.
It is clear from the on-set that the cast of seven are all talented actors with a bundle of knowledge in various genres between them. Credit is given to their ability to handle such dense text and topics with such ease and professionalism.
To give you the gist of the story, King Sodom and his people live in shameful sin and debauchery. Anything goes in the city of Sodom when it comes to sex and nothing but sex seems to be up for discussion. If you’re not used to vulgar language then you may find it somewhat offensive as all the ‘bad words’ we should never say flow like running water! The characters are mostly grotesque, peculiar, insane or just plain horny, which adds to the ‘delight’ of the show and gets you well out of your comfort zone!
With a simple set, lavish purple curtains and the use of silent movie placards, we enter the various places within the city of Sodom. More could have been done with the placards to incorporate them into the show as I felt they were somewhat disjointed being so far to the side of the stage and the changing of the placards seemed under-developed or under rehearsed.
Interjected were elements of singing, dance and burlesque that all contributed well to the overall look and feel of show. Choreography could have been more suited for both male and female dancers to give more range and diversity to the work. At times the language was lost amongst the secondary noise coming from on and off stage and it took a bit of time to get use to the classic Elizabethan dialogue. Volume and tempo could be explored more here. However, Julia Stafford as Lady Officina delivered both the prologue and epilogue superbly!
The cast plays a variety of characters between them and for the most part there are clear and concise decisions on delivery. A few moments of who is who can be easily overlooked for this funny, odd, sinful, offbeat show!
If you’re looking for some action…head to Sodom!
Show Website
http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-farce-of-sodom-or-the-quintessence-of-debauchery/6ce40839-d762-430d-9b93-2ab6c351c8c1
