Campbell Wright
Despite describing itself as a “half-baked odyssey”, Aphrodi-tim is a solid comedy show that expertly explores self improvement and identity.
Tim (performed by Tim Fraser) is desperate for a boyfriend. So desperate, in fact, that he takes the most logical course of action and attempts to summon aphrodite to assist him.. Unfortunately for our protagonist, she is too busy to pick up, thus setting the stage for Tim’s journey to find a boyfriend for himself.
Tim (performed by Tim Fraser) is desperate for a boyfriend. So desperate, in fact, that he takes the most logical course of action and attempts to summon aphrodite to assist him.. Unfortunately for our protagonist, she is too busy to pick up, thus setting the stage for Tim’s journey to find a boyfriend for himself.
Tim dives in with aplomb, commanding the stage well through both excessive silliness and more sombre monologues. He is able to switch between performances of both gender and sexuality with fluidity, and these performances serve the messaging of the show well. Although this is a solo show, Tim performs several other characters, and his blunt mother in particular is a highlight. Her absolutely brutal statements cut to the core of Tim’s struggle, while at times also misleading him in well placed comedic moments. However, there are performance elements which could use some polish. For example, Tim’s constant switching from Tim to Mother during conversations can feel clunky at times.
Tim handles the audience interaction throughout this piece well. Early in the show, he explicitly asks: “Any questions?”, which immediately creates an encouragement of audience participation. This serves him well later in the show as he calls on the audience to participate in several interactions. However, I think this also created a missed opportunity towards the end of the show. When Tim is at his lowest he asks for “Someone to tell me it’s ok” and gets an immediate response from several audience members that unfortunately goes unacknowledged. I think that some acknowledgement of this moment would have made for an even more effective resolution that brings the audience back into the world to help Tim with his self-described crisis. This may be too much to ask of a first performance, but I would encourage the team to prepare for possible responses like this if audiences continue to respond so viscerally.
The lighting (Anne Larcom) and sound (Rodney Cruden-Powell) design serve the performance very well. From camera flashes to a “talking” lampshade, and from Tiktok dance remixes to the growling of lions, this team knows when design enhances the comedy of the show and applies them well. The set design (Giovanni Maule) is minimal in order to fit within Fringe Bar, consisting of a simple “marble” slab that is reused throughout as bed, table, and to hide props behind. This is the perfect Fringe show set - establishing the scene, simple, and highly multifunctional. I would be fascinated to see what Giovanni designs for a version of this show with more time than is allotted for Fringe performances. Nonetheless, the design elements are all expertly combined under the direction of Emma Rattenbury and even make good use of their venue, with Tim wandering amongst audience members and performing Karaoke in a well placed piece of meta-humour.
There are some moments that it could use tightening, while other sections that could perhaps use more time for the audience to sit with. Similarly, there are elements of the show language which are inconsistent, such as how “secondary” characters to Tim are portrayed. These are matters of tweaking and polish however, and despite being “experimental”, Aphrodi-tim already has the makings of a great show. The script is well written, exploring themes of self-love and identity. It’s unexpectedly beautiful in the best of ways, belly-laugh hilarious, and approaches its subject matter with insight.
I can’t wait to see what Aphrodi-tim continues to grow into as it explores its identity.
Aphrodi-tim is on at 6pm at Fringe Bar until the 8th of March.