The tagline is as straightforward as it gets: "It’s about nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. We promise." And they mean it. "It means it’s about nothing! We felt one nothing didn’t drive the point home, but eight…now we’re cooking. We wouldn't read into it beyond that. No need. No pesky themes to go hunting for, just relax. SLUGS is a space where, finally, you can not think about all the SOMETHINGS of the world. An hour where you get to leave it at the door. What could go wrong?"
SLUGS' refusal to sit comfortably inside a specific category became particularly apparent at Edinburgh, where it was nominated for the Best Comedy award, the only non-stand-up show in the category. Rather than feeling like an oddity, the experience gave them a different perspective on the boundaries of comedy itself. "The term 'comedy' is a strange label we give to things! One with heaps of baggage and expectation. Being the only non-stand up show nominated made the whole thing quite surreal. It was eye opening to realise how much the alt-comedy/clown/performance scene is on the edge of what is widely considered 'comedy'," they tell me. "More than anything it made us grateful to have been able to hold the torch for all the works deemed too out there or particular for the mainstream; to be that year’s representative for everyone trying to expand the borders of comedy."
That spirit of experimentation has remained central to SLUGS as it has travelled. While the structure has largely stayed intact since its premiere, the pair are notorious tinkerers with their work. "We’ve adjusted scenes at the edges, and wordings, and swapped in and out a few moments here and there, which definitely helps us stay open and engaged. It’s also partially participatory, so every night has a certain unpredictability to it."
Even with some audience participation they are quick to point out that the audience isn't expected to become part of the performance in the traditional sense. "If audience participation summons up odd feelings in you, when you see it listed in the blurb, the participation in SLUGS may come as somewhat of a surprise. No one is ever brought on stage, and ultimately we are the butt of any joke," they explain. "That being said, it’s a little tricky to talk about without giving key moments away, but we’ve had people gag and become physically ill, we’ve had people give us their entire wallets, and once a keychain of the Grinch!"
Despite the excitement of touring the world, returning to Melbourne holds special significance for the pair. Grummett and Kruger first moved in together here after getting stuck in the city in March 2020. They spent their lockdown in a small sublet in East Brunswick before moving to a high-rise in Moonee Ponds, where they created their first work for Melbourne Fringe online. "We lived in the city for a year, during that scary and strange time, but look back on it incredibly fondly, as we were freshly in love and discovering a new foreign place together," they recall.
"So we are hugely excited to bring our wild show to the city in what is a weirdly personal homecoming. SLUGS is sort of an anxious doom party for the end of the world, and we have found audiences react very differently in North America than in Europe. Some of the more shocking bits are funny, some of the throw away jokes surprisingly hit quite hard. It really shifts depending on the domestic cultural attitudes towards the state of the world, and we are very very curious to see how a Melbourne audience reacts."
FRINGE FIVE FAST ONES
1. Our pre-show ritual is burpees, caffeine, and peeing the second before we go on stage.
2. If a song was to play each time we entered a room, it would be a 10 hour ASMR loop of beavers chewing on bark.
3. If we could instantly become amazing at one skill, it would be sleeping on a plane. At will. Just being able to conk out, then come to just as the flight attendant swings by with a snack or dinner, then out again until you touch down. The sheer bliss of this idea is unimaginable.
4. If I were forced to eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be
Sam: A Massaman Curry with coconut rice.
Grumms: Egg
5. The hill we will die on is bellybutton outies. They yucky. We do not like. We want them gone. All bodies are beautiful, except that terrible nubbin of flesh. Why is it even there? Did the doctor have shaky hands? Did the cord slip a little when she snipped? Why hasn’t the government stepped in about this? We are innie boys through and through, and we will not stop until this medical injustice is righted.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Meat Market, 36-54 Courtney St, North Melbourne
Season: 1 -17 October | Wed - Sat 9.15pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $35 Full | $28 Conc and Preview | $26.25 Hump Day Wednesday
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
Image credit: Bokah Media
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