Disgust review | La Mama Theatre

A man and a woman spend their evening discussing the dinner party they have attended. It's a banal conversation about who was wearing what socks and who ate the cake. However, in Kat Moritz's Disgust, these conversations open up to fantasy worlds and scenarios, uniting this couple and signifying the love that is shared between them.

Reminiscent of Harold Pinter's work, Moritz plays with silences throughout the production, specifying in the writers notes of the program that "lines should only be spoken when the actors feel compelled to speak them". In doing so, when words are spoken, they seep into our minds and let us focus on how this relationship between the two characters is being presented.

Appropriate Kissing For All Occasions review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Lithuanian Club

Intimacy can come in many forms: from a long, sensuous kiss to the brief contact of hands. They can unleash a flood of emotions and raise many questions to the meaning of such an action. David Finnigan and Isab Martinez's Appropriate Kissing for All Occasions is presented as two short works in which the art of kissing and desire are explored. 

The first piece, of which the show is named from, introduces us to Toni Stevenson-Smith (Christina McLachlan), a sex therapist and intimacy coach who is here to enlighten us on the perfect kiss. Toni takes us through a variety of kisses, including the first kiss, how to kiss in public and the farewell kiss. Teaching a group of people how to kiss is difficult without someone to kiss, so with some help from some volunteers in the audience (strictly by volunteering), Toni rates and critiques each kisser with the hope of them using her words of wisdom in the future.

This dissection of kissing explores how much meaning and power kissing has in our culture. Throughout the lecture, Toni's own cracks begin to surface as she deals with the aftermath of her own lip-locking experiences. McLachlan does a great job in presenting the duality of a cool, calm and collected professional while expressing the rejection, anger and sadness that has resulted from the simple act of kissing.

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.