Adelaide Fringe 2015
Tinder Surprise
Debrief
Genre: Mainstream Theatre
Venue: The Goodwood Institute – 166 Goodwood Road, Goodwood
Festival: Adelaide Fringe
Low Down
This rather predictable and all-too familiar production navigates the complicated and unnerving world of Tinder and finding true love based on physical attributes. Mike and Fiona are the protagonists of the show looking for a meaningful relationship—their friends encourage them to try out Tinder, a mobile phone dating application and they guilelessly do so.
Review
Mike and Fiona are ready to settle down and find a long-lasting relationship. Their friends encourage them to set up Tinder accounts and find true love using modern technology—predictably, what eventuates is a series of disastrous dates: a delusional stalker, a vampire-esque freak, an awkward encounter with a cousin, an exhibition of weirdos during a speed dating event, an obsessive-compulsive, a lush…With the support of their friends and a fabulous waiter Mike and Fiona navigate the tricky modern world of dating before the unsurprising ‘final swipe’.
All of the cast members did an excellent job exaggerating the ordinary characters that most of us know in real life; the audience laughed knowingly at the caricatures that they portrayed and this fuelled the expected scenarios that followed. The script could have used a little more imagination and originality rather than mirroring real-life dialogues and the scene changes took longer than expected; the audience were noticeably restless inbetween scenes and subsequently the show ended much later than the advertised 90 minutes. During the second act the disastrous dates became tedious and the ending, although predictable, was welcomed with laughter and rousing applause.
The stage was decorated quite simply with a bar, a couple of couches, a table with two chairs (for the dinner and coffee dates) and various props to set the scene—some of these were superfluous and added little to the scenes, but the lighting and visual effects were perfectly timed. The direction was simple and could have used more interesting juxtaposition for the events that took place parallel to each other to keep the audience engaged (although the friends and family of the cast hardly needed an excuse to cheer and respond to the scenes unfolding on stage).
Although the production and story was nothing new or unexpected, it was a light-hearted take on an ubiquitous theme that most people will be able to relate to, whether it’s through their own experiences dating or using the Tinder app, or the familiar characters. The audience left the show laughing and smiling.