I Would Like to Get to Know You is a multi-arts piece from Feral Foxy Ladies and Kaleido Film Collective. The production is split into six parts, covering different stories from dating, to sex, love and loss. It is devised from a set of interviews, long snippets of which are played during the show. The concept is wonderful, and the themes of the scenes are unpredictable, therefore keeping the audience absorbed for the whole time.
With an eclectic combination of art forms, the short sketches brought the stories to life in hilariously awkward scenarios. Katherine Vince was funny and charming; her drunken club dancing being a particular standout moment. George Cheetham uses his beautiful song writing to expose the raw feelings drawn out of the interviewees.
I Would Like to Get to Know You integrates music, dance, audio and film to tell their story. Although incredibly compelling at points, the performers could have been used more effectively rather than secondary to the recorded material. The scenes were often not prominent enough to provoke applause, which is what I would expect from a live theatre piece. Perhaps an increased number of verbatim theatre within the scenes could be developed instead of performing alongside the voice recordings. The range of art forms did not always compliment each other; the interpretive dance during the acoustic songs was mostly distracting and should have had more purpose. Devised theatre often seems too improvised and this was no exception, more structure would have improved the flow between the split parts.
Chloe Plum and Charlotte Seeger’s filmmaking were a fantastic addition and cleverly produced. Their interpretations from the dialogue were vivid and certain raunchy short films added a great touch of humour.
I Would Like to Get to Know You was a thoughtful piece that did not embellish the truth about love but gave a representation of falling for someone from all angles. It displayed an excellent collaboration to show the ups and downs of romance in all capacities and was an enjoyable evening of Fringe theatre.
Review by Hannah Storey
Rating: ★★★
Seat: Unreserved | Price of Ticket: £12
