Costabile plays Larry, a veterinarian who discovers he will lose his inheritance of $946,000 unless he is married by the end of the year. What’s a gay to do? Get married of course. Easier said than done, particularly when faced with a parade of strange and often alarming potential partners, all of whom are played by Cliffe.
Although scripted, the show frequently feels as though it creates opportunity for improvisation. Costabile and Cliffe clearly enjoy making and accepting offers from one another, with instances where they visibly fight the urge to laugh adding to the appeal. There are some funny moments throughout the show, including one standout sequence which sees Larry’s Aunt Janet exit the stage to retrieve something, leaving Larry sitting there utterly bored, as we hear the ridiculously elaborate path his Aunt takes to retrieve said item. It is a simple gag, but a highly effective one.
However, as a fully realised narrative, the production struggles to hold itself together. Inconsistencies emerge, and events unfold without clear motivation or logic. While the piece absolutely has licence to be absurd, it still needs a throughline to anchor that chaos. A more tightly structured storyline, with stronger cause-and-effect between scenes, would have helped bring things into a more satisfying whole. The ending, in particular, could have benefited from further escalation and commitment to its ideas, giving the show a firmer sense of resolution rather than an abrupt close.
Similarly, the music, while functional, begins to blur over the course of the show. Repetition and limited variation in style mean that individual numbers lack distinction, at times fading into the background instead of driving the action forward. Greater musical differentiation, whether through shifts in tempo, genre, or emotional tone, could have strengthened the score and guided each song assert a clearer identity.
I’m Only Dating These Men… is a show with flashes of genuine humour and inventive energy, anchored by the chemistry and timing of Costabile and Cliffe. Its charm lies in the strangeness and spontaneity of the characters and the performances, despite the overall story and musical choices leaving room for improvement. With a tighter story structure and more distinctive musical production, this quirky musical could be as memorable as its audacious title, but even as it stands, it’s an entertaining, if uneven, romp through the wackiness of love.
Read our interview with Luke Costabile and Trent Cliffe here.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Theatre Works: Explosive Factory, 67 Inkerman St, St Kilda
Season: until 23 Jan | 7pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $38 Full | $32 Conc
Bookings: Midsumma Festival
Image credit: Tom Noble
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