By this point, I think you all know that weird shows are something I always strive to see at the fringe. I just love the odd and bizarre, so a cabaret featuring pickled vegetables was a shoo-in for me to go and see.

"Pickled Republic" had a very impressive marketing campaign to the point that the moment that I saw their trailer, I bought my ticket. I was so excited to sit in the anatomy lecture hall as well, having caught a glimpse of some very impressive costume pieces on the way in.

The star of this one person show, Ruxandra Cantir, was present the whole time as we sat down and sprouted when the show began. The audience collectively getting ready for 45 minutes of hilarious mayhem.

Sadly, that was not to be.

The show had a very impressive soundscape and phenomenal costumes; the lights and mist created a fantastic atmosphere for an eerie, pickled world. However, when it came down to brass tax, the show's content, unlike the pickle jar we were in, was lacking.

I could tell that Cantir is a talented performer, but the show brought me back to one of my very first clowning classes. Our instructor had us stand up in front of the class and gave us one instruction: make them laugh. What followed for us all that day was what I witnessed during the show. It takes a lot to make people laugh, and many will quickly realise that pulling funny faces do not cut it, especially for 45 minutes. Each pickled vegetable had nothing to say when they took to the stage. There was a sense of existentialism, which could have been interesting, but it just simply didn't go anywhere.

There needs to be a proper story to make this show work. It is a fantastic idea, it just sadly doesn't go beyond that.

⭐️⭐️

Hoping the majority of the shows you saw at fringe were great and that overall, you all had a fantastic fringe! 😁

Love,

Tony x