Georgie weaves a poetic tale about her dating life that is raw, romantic, and realism at its finest.Summary
Rating
Good
The Cambridge dictionary defines the word ‘perverse’ as: ‘strange and not what most people would expect or enjoy’. This is partially true of Per-Verse, a poetic show about Georgie, a young woman who is the embodiment of the phrase ‘single and ready to mingle’. Georgie spins tales about her dating life, which is rich with hopping from bar to bar before proceeding to go from house to house for sex. Referring to one of her past dates as ‘Dr Dead’ and telling of how after having sex all she could think about was what to eat, she is boldly outspoken and honest about the individuals who she has been with in the past. She is certainly not shy about describing how the dates have been; from the conversations, to the sex, to how she felt afterwards.
Writer and performer Georgie Wedge narrates her experiences herself through poetry which she has laced with colourful humour. Her brilliant verse flows gracefully, but, similarly to Alan Ginsberg’s poem Howl, Georgie’s words tells of real life and are not sugar coated in any way. Her stories are raw and deeply personal, but underneath the rhythmic beauty lies someone who is trying to figure out why certain people act the way that they do. Director Ilya Wray works with Georgie’s words, placing her on certain points of the stage where they would be best understood. When Georgie “rapidly consumes McDonalds” she stands directly in front of the audience as a way to show that when it came between her fulfilling the needs of her date versus her hunger, it was clear who the winner was.
The lighting is perfectly synced with her delivery. As the audience embraces her speech, the set is practically painted with colours, which complement certain points throughout the show. During more serious scenarios the light is red and sometimes crimson, which matches Georgie who has red hair. She also dresses in red and at one point puts on a bright red coat as if crying out to be noticed.
Per-verse is a poem which is raw and about real life, yet while some parts are very funny, there is an underlying pain. Georgie may weave a sequence of words traced with humour about an episode of shingles she had experienced, doing a great job at making one laugh in the process, but anyone who has ever had shingles will tell you that they are extremely painful.
Nevertheless, there is a deeper meaning behind the comical and rhythmic lines which Georgie recites effortlessly. While her promiscuous poetry may seem strange and not what some people would expect to enjoy, there can be no doubt that Per-verse is a piece of delightful realism, about a lifestyle which embraces a side to dating that is accepted by some and scorned by others.
Written by: Georgie Wedge
Directed by: Ilya Wray
Per-Verse plays at Riverside Studios until Saturday 19 April.
