Ross & Rachel - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

Spoiler alert, when Ross and Rachel finally got together in Friends, there was much celebration from fans of the iconic TV show. After all, we'd been waiting ten years for this. Once the show was over, we assumed that that was their happy ending. They were meant for each other. But what happens when that happy ending doesn't come? James Fritz' Ross & Rachel picks up on this story ten years later and reveals that what we may have wanted back then could easily be what is slowly killing us now.

Fritz's play is intended to be performed by one actor in both roles. The transitions between characters occur instantly throughout and sometimes before a sentence has even been finished. This can make for a challenging narrative to follow, but the idea of losing one's self by being in a relationship is made abundantly clear. While this is told through the characters of Friends, it is still accessible for those who don't know the TV show as references to the show will appeal to fans but are vague enough that non-Friends fan will still be able to understand. Ross & Rachel isn't about the Friends, it's about two people who thought they were meant to be together.

Ross & Rachel - Melbourne Fringe Festival preview

So no one told you life was gonna be this way. If that sentence immediately makes you think of the 90s TV program Friends, you are definitely not alone. It was a show, where for 14 years, the world patiently waited for one of TVs most loved couples to finally get together - and stay together: Ross and Rachel. It was all happily ever after for the two, but what really happened afterwards? Did they stay together? Were they happy? Did they stay in love? Presented by Spinning Plates as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, James Fritz' Ross & Rachel is an examination on The One That No One Told You About. 

"Ross & Rachel is about what happens after the end – not about getting together, but about staying together," actor Jessica Stanley explains. "The title really is so integral to the whole thing; it’s about how people can lose their identities inside of a relationship, how they’re no longer counted as two people but as one."

BOYZ - Midsumma Festival review

Your 20s are a time in your life where you finally step out into the real world and attempt to make sense of it all. For most, it includes moving out of the family home, graduating from studies and finding your place in life. Easier said than done though. Presented as part of Midsumma Festival, Paul Malek's new contemporary dance piece, BOYZ, explores what it means being a gay man in your 20s.

Whilst there is a feeling of frustration and boredom, things begin serenely enough with five males - Jayden Hicks, Samuel Harnett-Welk, Charles Ball, Lachlan Hall and Kurt Dwyer-William - living under one roof. However, the gradual exploration of their sexuality, individuality and how they fit in to a society such as ours, has them experiencing new and foreign moments. Malek incorporates some engaging storytelling through his choreography, and the characters the dancers take on maintain a sophisticated depth to them that I rarely witness in contemporary dance.

Boyz - Midsumma Festival preview

For most people, your 20s can be life changing and an opportunity to grow and discover new things about yourself. It is a time to define who you are and what it is you want from life. Presented by Transit Dance, as part of the 2016 Midsumma Festival, Boyz is a dance piece that explores this passage into male adulthood, full of addictive behaviours, sexual habits and testosterone-fuelled tendencies.

"Boyz is a reflection on the beautiful and often frenzied existence of a young man's life in their early 20's. The constant self exploration, experimental interaction and uncontrollable urges that guide you through everyday life," director and choreographer of the work, Paul Malek says. "It's physical, which isn't surprising considering it is explored through contemporary dance and it is a celebration, and appreciation of the male form, and the exquisite capabilities and possibilities that can be created when it is thrust together with such subject matter."

Neighbours - Big West Festival preview

It's interesting that it's often the people you live next door to or across the road from that you know the least about. You may see each other in the mornings as you're going to work or pass them when you take your dog out for a walk and exchange pleasantries, but who are they really? Performed as part of the Big West Festival, Neighbours takes you on a guided walking along Nicholson street and into the homes of residents as they perform accounts of their lives.

Melbourne-based performers/performance-makers from This Side of The Tracks, Kerensa Diball and Yuhui Ng-Rodriguez, have spent two years working on getting this project ready. "We've spent many hours inhabiting the street, building relationships, door knocking, loitering, being inquisitive about everything, listening, watching. Through conversations over time, we have gotten to know locals and residents; this has enabled us to work with the skills, personality, quirks and expertise of each resident to create Neighbours," they say.

Citydash presented by Pop Up Playground - Melbourne Fringe Festival preview

Earlier in the year, I wrote about my experiences at the Melbourne International Festival of Games, which you can read about here. For the Melbourne Fringe festival, Pop Up Playground is returning with one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played, the immensely fun and exciting Citydash. Created by Fire Hazard, Citydash is a high-energy game of speed, stealth, and strategy, played in throughout the city streets. 

"We've been friends with the Fire Hazard crew in the UK for a couple of years and we invited them out for festival this year because they offer a kind of game that Melbourne hasn't seen much of really," explains the company's Constructive Communities Director, Sayraphim Lothian. "Digitally supported street gaming is popular in places like London and New York but its only just starting to emerge here.  When the opportunity arose to keep running it here for them, we jumped at the chance."

FAG/STAG & Minnie and Mona Play Dead presented by The Last Great Hunt - Melbourne Fringe Festival preview

I saw a play called Hope Is The Saddest during the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2013 and thought the entire production was brilliant. So I was thrilled to see the writer behind it, Jeffrey Jay Fowler, is coming to Melbourne Fringe with two shows being presented by Perth based theatre company, The LastGreat Hunt: FAG/STAG and Minnie and Mona Play Dead.

"With Hope is the Saddest we were exploring loneliness specifically, and lack of connection or understanding between people. FAG/STAG however, came from an interest (co-creator) Chris Isaacs and I had in what makes a friendship between straight and gay men different to other friendships," Fowler explains. "It explores how people of different sexualities can benefit from one another's company. I find my friendships with straight men much less tricky than my friendships with gay men."

The uncertainty of mates and dates

For the past six weeks I have been seeing a guy. Six weeks! That is virtually a lifetime for me. And it's not because I am afraid of commitment or relationships but purely because I have either not liked a guy enough to warrant seeing him or vice versa (shocking I know) or due to circumstances out of our control the relationship could not continue.

I met Sam* the old fashioned way - on Manhunt. We bonded over our mutual like of Saved By The Bell and ended up watching the "scandalous" unauthorised behind the scenes film together. The next six weeks passed by and we spent more time together; going to the movies and theatre, having dinner and spending nights together. He would pick me up from work, drop me off home and met various friends of mine. All the makings of a great relationship. Right? WRONG.