Fringe Review: "Cull" is an Ingenius Comedy
After sold-out seasons at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Very Good Looking Initiative have brought Cull to the Blue Room for their Summer Nights program at Fringe World. This two-person play can only be described as an experience. What they brought was a boundary-pushing, uproariously funny night of dark slapstick comedy at its finest.
The plot is loosely based on two friends deciding to rid themselves of Facebook friends to save themselves from jealousy and superficiality. This loose narrative framework ties together a series of skits based on all the most annoying things people do on social media. From pet personalities to #fitspo and (not embarrassing) audience engagement, Cull has it all.
What it also has is laughs, and plenty of them. The play is about as excessive as it gets, with the jokes thrown in your face at a million miles an hour. Luckily, this was exactly what I was in the mood for, and I wasn’t the only one losing my breath. There were moments when you thought, ‘surely they’re not going to take it there?’ But they did, leaving you squirming in your seats, before rescuing you from adverting your eyes with a timely segue.
The chemistry between the two performers (Patrick Durnan Silva and Honor Wolff) was infectious, elevating the show with bountiful energy. Whether conga dancing or engaging in David Lynch-esque confounding escapades, the pair were magnetic as fictionalised versions of themselves. For a well performed, well written show that holds a mirror up to society without seeming preachy, this is your best bet.
