Deranged Dating
Deranged Dating is a half-hour autobiographical tale padded with unrelated skits into an hour-long comedy show. Half of the show is related to the stated theme of the hazards and pitfalls of thirtysomething dating; the other half -- the first 20 minutes or so of the show especially -- seem to have been gleaned from other comedy routines.
Shirley Kirchmann uses minor costume changes and simple props to portray her thirtysomething self and a handful of peripheral characters including her meddling Aunt Hattie and a superficial-minded matchmaker. Her stage voice is clear and strong, but at times her words are lost as she turns her back to the audience.
The rapid-fire delivery of a series of blackout scenes from first dates is brilliantly executed, especially the character’s reaction to a naïve date who reveals he is under the influence of psychadelic drugs. The miming of a bikini waxing cleverly and surprisingly meshes with the background music. And the awkwardness and missteps of a single girl in a noisy nightclub is portrayed with unflinching honesty.
Kirchmann is a multitalented performer, but here we only catch glimpses of her skills beyond comedy. She dances with the grace and ease of someone who has a good relationship with her body -- but only a few steps. She has a beautiful, strong singing voice -- but only sings a few notes. Her talents in mime and imitation are similarly merely touched upon.
If the intent of this performance is an hour-long feature comedy show, then the script could use more punchlines, more focus on humour. The material doesn’t need to be restricted to the topic of dating, but it should elicit more than chuckles. I get the impression that this show would do better as an evening performance in a pub or comedy venue, but as a 5 p.m. midweek show in a theatrical festival, it seems to lack enough consistency and storyline to maintain the audience’s attention and enthusiasm.
The nature of the Fringe is such that performers are unencumbered by genre boundaries and able to stretch their wings and explore their talents and abilities . For future performances in an event such as this, I would like to see this show tightened and sharpened to focus on the storyline of dating. Cut the matchmaker’s side project as an astrologist. Cut the imitations of the Royal Family. Cut other unrelated quips. This show has the potential to be a very insightful, passionate, powerful overview of the artist’s journey through the dating world. There is so much material available within the subject -- rejection, loneliness, sadness, surprise -- that could be explored. Rather than limiting herself to the funny, I would like to see Kirchmann step out of her comfort zone and integrate more of her music, dance, mime, and other performance skills.
The premiere of Deranged Dating at the Vancouver Fringe was riddled with technical glitches and delayed sound and light cues, but Kirchmann handled such moments with grace and humour while keeping the show moving. Such rough execution will no doubt smooth out quickly as the crew adapts to the venue and settles into their roles.
Overall, Deranged Dating is a charming show of light entertainment, but it falls halfway between two potential strengths and thus misses its mark. Either the comedy needs to be stronger to form a solid feature show of humour and wit, or the off-topic material needs to be excised and more aspects of the topic explored using the artist’s many theatrical talents.