When a friend suggested we go watch “Maggot” because she knew someone in it, she had my attention straight away. I mean, what a show name!
When this friend also suggested we go on Cheap Wednesday, it closed the deal – at worst, it meant a loss of $15 and 60 minutes of our lives, so why not.
It promised to be an “anarchic sketch show which merges clown, dance and character comedy”.
What it was actually, was a f*cking strange, weirdly delightful show. Each of the “baby girls” – Angela Fouhy, Elle Wootton and Freya Finch – were amazingly entertaining to watch.
Each micro-expression, each awkwardly held silence, each contortion of body language, was flippin’ hilarious.
Sometimes, nothing happened – but it was still laugh out loud funny. This show is not for those people who are looking for a cohesive story line, or looking to find a deeper meaning beyond what is being performed in front of them. Sometimes, what you see in front of you, is just a butt. No buts about it (sorry, we couldn’t resist).
Watching “Maggot” made me realise what a dearth of physical humour there is on our stages these days. So much of a story can be told by the lift of an eyebrow, by the repetition of the same lines, by the physical reaction of other characters on stage.
I would rate it a solid 8 out of 10, would definitely go see these three again. In short: bloody weird, but hilarious.
“Maggot” runs from 3 November to 11 November 2017 at the Basement Theatre. Tickets ($15-$20) available here.
