The Vancouver Fringe Festival is in full swing for the next week or so, and after my experience with Darren Barefoot’s “Bolloxed” last Thursday, I think I want to catch a few more shows.
Getting back to Bolloxed. The basic plot goes as thus: Jack is a Canadian working for an American computer company in Ireland. He is anti-spam software engineer getting used to a new culture, fighting a battle against Nigerian spam sent from Bulgaria, and along the way, he meets a young lass named Aoife (pronounced Ee-fah). Unfortunately, it is around this time that he is faced with an inexplicable pain in his testicles. The story revolves around his issues with ball pain and getting to know someone in a foreign land/culture.
The theatre is very intimate, with very little as far as costume changes and props. While the back story is about Jack getting to know Aoife (and vice versa), and their respective pop culture references (it’s all quite sweet), the focus of the play is on Jack’s testicles. If you have a weak stomach, you may not be so interested in Bolloxed, as it does get a little cringe-worthy at several moments.
, goes to see an Irish doctor (played by Mercedes Dunphy, the same actress who plays Aoife… in fact, she plays pretty well every other character in the play, including Jack’s foreign co-worker, a Nigerian spammer, and one of Jack’s testicles… more on that in moment). She grabs his balls like “playing craps in Vegas”; it’s all quite the painful experience. Even more so, when a probe goes into his <strike>penis</strike> special place to take a “sample”. They fear it may be cancer.</p>
<p>The doctor recommends that Jack try out a testicular support device. It’s sort of like a jock strap, except there isn’t a hard cup in the front. Instead, it’s all soft and cotton-y like a comfortable pair of underwear. “It keeps everything all so… contained.” </p>
<p>One of the better moments in the play is when Jack and Aoife first meet in the park: The first time that Aoife sees Jack, he has his hands down his pants moaning (in pain). Of course, she assumes that he is doing something else. He tries to reassure her that he isn’t a “flasher” or a “pervert.”</p>
<p>It is all terribly cliche, completely expected, and not overly creative, but I found the talking testicle bit to be quite funny. After all, how can you not laugh at a pair of talking balls (played by Paul Drexler and Mercedes Dunphy as they stick their hands through a cheaply made prop).</p>
<p>If you’re in the mood for a deeply involving story with incredible character development, Bolloxed is not for you. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and literally laugh your ass off (I think my balls started to hurt a little from laughing so much), you just might want to check out Bolloxed at this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival. Like I said in my previous entry, it’s mostly bathroom humour and sight gags, but it’s <i>well-written</i> bathrooom humour. Fans of the “we have a bleeder” moment from <i>There’s Something About Mary</i> will feel right at home with Bolloxed. </p>
<p>It’s a little crude, a little gross (especially the last scene), and there are certain moments that just don’t work (the Nigerian spam scene lacked proper implementation, methinks), but overall, Bolloxed was enjoyable, and more importantly, it was funny. The jokes come fast and furious, and I loved (almost) every moment.</p>
<p>Check out the official Bolloxed page at <a href=)
thisplayisbolloxed.com and Darren Barefoot’s official page at DarrenBarefoot.com.
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