Saturday 19 October 2024

Prune review (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Prune has such an absurd premise that it makes for the perfect Fringe Festival fodder. Written and directed by Isabelle Carney and Pat Mooney, Prune tells the story of a woman called Prune, who one day takes a bath and decides to not leave. Despite her family’s best efforts to get her out of the water, she refuses to budge. She likes it there.

Cue squabbling siblings, each with their own secrets, a husband who’s not sure what to do and a fumbling doctor with questionable skills and morals and suddenly Prune seems like the sane one. Maybe she knows something we don’t?

The casting is top tier with Hannah Camilleri, Oliver Coleman, Jason Geary and Jennifer Vuletic playing this highly dysfunctional family. Camilleri and Coleman bring excellent physicality, particularly Coleman as the anxious milk-drinking Chip. Camilleri is the easily agitated daughter who doesn’t appreciate being kept in the dark about her family’s issues while doing the same to them. She’s not necessarily an unlikeable character but Camilleri allows her to be more than just angry and shouting.

Geary is in his element as Prune's simple, happy-go-lucky husband, the type of guy that would be having a heart attack and refuse to make a big deal about it because he doesn’t want to be a burden. Vuletic is wonderful as Prune, finding an authentic and genuine side to the character even with the wackiness that is occurring.

There are plot holes galore and some extremely random scenes, but the jokes are often so hilarious that you can overlook these. The ensemble does a great job of the world building with Carney and Mooney's script and direction, that you can happily accept that what we are seeing is what it is.

At one point, one person says to another that “there is something wrong with you.” I think there’s something wrong with this whole family, but for a show like Prune, something so wrong, is something so so right.

SHOW DETAILS


Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton

Season: until 20 October | Sat 7:30pm, Sun 6:30pm and 8:30pm

Duration: 50 minutes

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image credit: Pat Mooney and Isabelle Carney

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