Paul T Davies reviews Ode To Joy (How Gordon got to go to the Nasty Pig Party) at Summerhall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Ode To Joy (How Gordon Got To Go to the Nasty Pig Party)
Summerhall
Edinburgh Fringe
4 Stars
Writer James Ley is certainly having a moment this Edinburgh. Not only is his Wilf raising the roof at the Traverse, he is also packing them in for this daring comedy at Summerhall. I love Ley's sex positivity in his work, his characters may enjoy hard, rough gay sex, but they all have heart and sympathy, and he is a damn fine comedic writer.
Here mild-mannered Gordon works for the Scottish Government, but secretly wants to be a "pig" and go to Europe's biggest pig party in Berlin. Beautifully played by Brian Evans, we go on his journey, and it's one of discoveries for many in the audience too! I won't go into details, but he is contacted by Cum Pig, ( gloriously energetic Sean Connor), and the play is outrageously narrated by Man Pussy, a commanding Marc MacKinnon who revels in his omnipotent power. Yes, it's not subtle, but it's a play that makes no judgement on its characters, and we go with the outrageous tale. It also cleverly weaves in the EU and Scottish Independence, and Beethoven's 9th turns up in a show for the third time for me!
Yes, perhaps the chemsex aspect is a little glamourised, but from the outset Gordon makes clear he is on PREP, the biggest protection against HIV. When he is ready to become his true sexual self the play roars with self identity, to a blistering soundtrack by Simon 'Simonotron' Ellbeck. In the words of the Scissor Sisters, it's Filthy/Gorgeous.
Aug 17-21, 23-28
Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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