The Absurdity of Vanilla is a surreal journey into the world of sex and obsession. Two doctors, Joe (Phil Mann) and Paul (Darrell Jackson), have been friends throughout university and now work for the same medical clinic. Joe confesses to Paul that, despite being a lauded gynaecologist, he finds it impossible to have a normal relationship as he gets distracted by the 'physical detail' of the vagina. Paul decides to try and help his friend and arranges to meet him after work for a drink, failing to inform Joe that the planned rendezvous is actually a sex club.

But Joe is keeping more secrets from Paul - he is fantasising about an androgenous female student, Robyn (Clare Shucksmith), with whom he is having a bizarre sadistic relationship. Unable to express love in normal, or vanilla, sexual terms he indulges in dreams of pain and shame which are ultimately to lead to his destruction.

When Robyn follows Joe to the sex club, Paul finds out about their unusual relationship and violence ensues. Paul can't bear to see Joe with something he can't himself obtain and sets about stealing Robyn's virginity by force. There follows a non-linear descent into ever-more-extreme degradation. Brief lurid vignettes are performed like scenes from some seedy internet site – buggery, rape, adult babies, transvestites, sadism and masochism all flash by with little in the way of explanation.

The performance is tied together by Maxine (Christopher Bailey), a performer at the sex club who acts as an informal narrator at various points throughout the play. Christopher Bailey plays Maxine coquettishly with a drawling American accent and does a superb job in setting the early dark tone of the play. Maxine plays the guitar, dances, struts around the stage like a bird, indulges in some impromtu stand-up, and fucks, all with the same look of mild boredom on her face. She's seen it all before and is immune to shock.

Phil Mann is suitably dishevelled and confused as the hapless Joe who seems destined to eternally rail against his splendidly odd desires. Darrell Jackson ensures that Paul is the real monster of the story, filled with jealousy, bile and violence.

Clare Shucksmith has little to do as Robyn, other than look mildly shocked and/or turned-on by the actions and suggestions of the three main characters.

The play starts and ends with Joe in a perspex box centre stage. At the start he is getting dressed in his brown suit and white lab coat, while at the end he is frantically masturbating in nothing but a nappy. The action zips along in the intervening 45 minutes with tight direction and fine acting. Unfortunately, the plot gets so confused during the first half that the last 20 minutes just seems like a sketch show of depravity. During these scenes it is unclear whether the writer is seeking laughs or disgust and the overall effect is something close to boredom. This is disappointing as the opening salvo is intriguing and deserves a better conclusion than it receives.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Cast Credits: (alpha order): Christopher Baile - Maxine. Darrell Jackson - Paul. Phil Mann - Joe. Clare Shucksmith - Robyn.

Company Credits: Writer/Director - Clare Shucksmith. Production Manager - Matthew Thomas. Production Assistant - Carrie Acors. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer - uncredited. Company - uncredited.

END

(c) David Hepburn 2008

reviewed Sunday 3 August 2008 / Underbelly Iron Belly, Edinburgh

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com