Gavin Roach’s one man show Confessions of a Grindr Addict is already one of the hit shows of Fringeworld. Sold out for its entire Perth run before opening night the show is sure to please those who managed to snap up tickets with its wit, painfully honest observations on our behaviour and a captivating performance.
The show is set on the couch in a lounge room, here we find Felix, a young gay man chatting on his mobile phone to his mother, or it could have easily been my mother – I suspect most mothers share some of the same qualities. Felix signs off by reassuring his mother that’s he’s just going out for a drink with some friends, and no he won’t be getting drunk. Once he hangs up though Felix confesses to us that he’s going on a date – his first real date in over a year. The reason for Felix’s break from the dating scene, he’s been addicted to the phone app Grindr.
Over the next hour Roach shares with the audience his many Grindr adventures from trying to hook up with the unattainable, a fascination with people’s different fetishes and the many unwritten rules and codes of the Grindr community. While he passes time waiting for his upcoming date he devours a bottle of pink champagne as his nervousness begins to grow.
Clocking in at just under an hour, this feel good play is filled with hilarity. On occasions perhaps a restrained laugh, as many of the audience members maybe don’t want to reveal to their dates that they know exactly what Felix is talking about. An impressive one man performance that holds the audiences attention with charm and honesty.
Confessions of A Grindr Addict is at The Blue Room until February 2.
Image: George Popov
