As I enter the Motley Bauhaus saloon-style pub in Carlton, I am infused with 1970’s nostalgia, bedecked with retro-style posters of shows-gone-by, and funky music beating in the background. Representing the liberated spirit of artistic creation, a barman serves drinks and food while his voice echoes over a loudspeaker, directing fringe-goers to their designated garret-style rooms to see their individual shows.
Speaking of the spirit of the Bauhaus, I enter up a staircase to tiny 25-seater wooden theatrette; surrounded by layers of exposed plaster and centuries-old brickwork. To the right and left of where I sit, are two barstools each flanked by bowls of green, purple and black grapes. A central theme of a show I am about to see called ‘Ode To A Grape’, the latter title celebrating the magical properties of a grape, a multi-purpose fruit that is not only sweet in nature, but can transform itself into a multitude of nutritional and eco-friendly benefits for the world-at-large.
In the middle of these two stools stands a red velvet draped curtain, parting ways for us to meet ‘Johann’, a angsty German-born existentialist with slicked-back hair. Starkly dressed in black with the peacock-ish air of socialist angst and radical views, Johann first expresses his passionate love for grapes, explaining how he has moved to his new hometown of Tīrau, New Zealand, where he seeks to fulfil his childhood dreams as a poetic artist.
In fact, tonight, we have come to Johann’s book launch of ‘Ode To A Grape’, his book of truly terrible poetry he tries to recite onstage for the very first time. Believing -that it is HE who was born to be a true poet of his time. That it is HE who is born to spread the word: about his oppressive upbringing in Germany and his love for grapes.
But instead, as time passes, Johann’s mind overtakes himself, and he starts ranting about the oppression of cows. His mind is going haywire. So much so, that I run into a confusion, asking myself – is this a show about sustainability? Of animal exploitation? Of terribly-made sandwiches being destroyed by harsh parenting causing inner child trauma?
Well, it is all of those actually, much to the audience’s delight. For this is where our night of satire begins.
For in between Johann’s preaching of grapes and cows, interruptions arise to foil his launch. An inner child that is split in two, torn between a sweet sounding Scottish voice positive about his poetic dreams versus that of an inner demon seeking to berate his over-inflated sense of confidence – to talk him out of sharing his woeful poetry with the world.
Starring Em Barrett, a native New Zealander, ‘Ode to A Grape’ is a cult-comedy, a call-to-arms about society-at-large, seen through the eyes of the bumbling Johann, one in which Barrett has perfected to the bone since 2022. For Barrett not only masters the German accent, but also the grandiose physicality of a tormented, angst-ridden male. One who is in denial of his deplorable poetic talents, which, as the show progresses, becomes incredibly funny.
One moment that brought the audience into the palm of Barrett’s hands was her clever use of a video depicting cows as gentle giants, as we see a video projection of a herd of cows behind a fence, listening to Johann’s partner, Nigel, playing the ukulele. It is here that Johann engages us in a mode of audience participation: a moo-ing sing-a-long of sorts; to help fight the affliction and the commodity of cows – to the audience’s delight.
This show is a must-see for fans of comedy, satire, and the spirit of Bauhaus. For shows that don’t exactly fit the mold, but engage us with raw, comedic undertones and imperfect scripting. A show where anything goes in the moment, one grape at a time.
To book tickets to Ode To A Grape, please visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/ode-to-a-grape.
