DIRTY WORDS
DIRECTORS: Jon Keevy and Jason Potgieter
CAST: Kim Kerfoot and Danieyella Rodin
VENUE: Kalk Bay Theatre
UNTIL: October 19
Rating: ***
TRUE to its title, Dirty Words is replete with obscenities, both explicit and implicit, as seven sexy scenarios are explored by the versatile duo of Kim Kerfoot and Danieyella Rodin (pictured).
What makes their partnership so piquant is the unlikely pairing of Kerfoot, who has the apparent innocence of an adult choirboy, with the bold-mannered and saucy-eyed Rodin. They feed off each other’s performance – the way a successful brace of performers should – to bring out the richness of Jon Keevy’s script.
“Richness?” some might ask. “What’s rich about filthy speech?” The fact is that behind the blatant naughtiness there is a sharp, intellectually satisfying wit that is not lost on those who scratch below the surface of the dialogue – once inhibitions have been firmly repressed.
Inevitably, given their variety, some of the sketches are better than others, and the evening starts on a strong note with Rodin, garbed as a cleaner, engaging in a spot of illicit chat sex. This she does extremely well.
Kerfoot takes over as a bookworm indulging in written as opposed to spoken soft porn, reading aloud in cultured accents as he shares some fanciful metaphors for orgasm with his audience.
Among the best inclusions is the enactment of a pick-up in a bar, with hilarious – and original – use of rhyming couplets in archaic English. Here Kerfoot is completely at ease with the quaintly engineered dialogue.
Contrary to expectation, there is nothing salacious in the show’s costuming. Both performers remain decently clad throughout, which focuses attention on the script without the distraction of any visual titillation; the amount of bare flesh on view here is less than might be seen on the average beach.
That said, Dirty Words is not the sort of entertainment to be recommended for the squeamish, the humourless, or the Puritanical. This show celebrates the libido with extrovert gusto which is refreshing and infectious. Audience reaction begins with a nervous giggle or two at the opening salvo from Rodin, and ends with full-throated guffaws as the last sketch reaches its climax (pun intended) and the performers take their final bow. Good, unclean fun is had by all who enter it in the right spirit.