Cafe Play! - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

The first thing I notice when I meet Catherine in a cafe in Coburg are six miniature bow ties laid out on the table in front of me. Before I have any time to register what is happening she jumps out of her chair, warmly welcomes me as if we are old friends and orders me a chai latte. And so begins this interactive and immersive Melbourne Fringe Festival show for an audience of one, Cafe Play!.

Created by Pearce Hessling and Catherine Holder, Cafe Play! is a thirty-minute 'catch-up' between two friends. I first encountered Holder's work at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival, with her one-on-one interactive show Sonder. Her care and attention to my needs then were impressive and in Cafe Play! that same level of attention is present, albeit in a very different environment. She does a great job of making me feel like an equal in this conversation while guiding and driving the narrative.