After rave reviews and an extended season at
Perth's Fringe World Festival in 2015, Perth based theatre company, The LastGreat Hunt, have brought FAG/STAG to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Written and
performed by Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Chris Isaacs, it is the simple story of two
best friends, one gay and one straight, who are going through some pretty
challenging times in their lives.
Jimmy (Fowler) and Corgan (Isaacs) each take a
seat on opposite ends of the stage. At their disposal, they each have a mobile
phone (to check their dating apps, grindr for Jimmy and tinder for
Corgan) and a PlayStation controller. Using these two items, they recall the
moments of their lives leading up to their friend Tamara's wedding. Tamara
also happens to be Corgan's ex-girlfriend. Corgan is still not completely
over their break up and Jimmy has just broken up with his boyfriend. Life
is great.
As an audience member, I much prefer to
be shown things in stories rather than be told. However, due to the overall
style of the production, I was immediately drawn into FAG/STAG. Having
been created through long form improvisations that were later recorded and
transcribed, there is a genuine sense of vulnerability coming from
the actors as they explore what it means to be a 20-something male in
Australia who doesn't quite have it all together. The duologues
are extremely natural in language and in delivery with the experiences of
love, happiness, fear and sadness they encounter being so common that
you cannot help but relate to them with your own.
Fowler and Isaacs are not afraid to play with
silence and allow the audience the time to fully comprehend the situations
the characters find themselves in. There are some deeply honest and moving
moments in FAG/STAG, where the effects of some stayed with me long after
the show ended. However, there are many humorous moments in the show, as
with life, and the ability that Fowler and Isaacs have in noticing these
moments and bringing them to the surface is highly skillful. The final minutes of the show perfectly sums up what the two have been exploring and something which will now forever be linked to that iconic song for me.
Just like life, not everything is completely resolved by the end of FAG/STAG, but you walk out with the hope that Jimmy and Corgan are better and stronger because of their experiences and perhaps so are we. Ultimately, despite our individual differences, we are all the same and we all share the same experiences and thoughts and it's important to be there for each other. Even if it's just to play Donkey Kong.
Just like life, not everything is completely resolved by the end of FAG/STAG, but you walk out with the hope that Jimmy and Corgan are better and stronger because of their experiences and perhaps so are we. Ultimately, despite our individual differences, we are all the same and we all share the same experiences and thoughts and it's important to be there for each other. Even if it's just to play Donkey Kong.
FAG/STAG is the kind of theatre that I wish was made more often. FAG/STAG is the kind of theatre that people need to go and see.
Season:
Tickets:
* Original review appeared on Theatre Press on 22 September
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