Just how fraught is the dating scene?
A sea of vipers, low lifes and misfits, according to an impressive and evocative work from writer and music director Sarah Wynen (who also co-directs with Simon McWilliam).
She trawls the depth of frustration and despair, combining humour and pathos in an exploration of hook ups, misses and more.
At times it gets pretty willing.
Photos by Shae Khreish
A great deal is packed into an hour of vignettes, which combines narrative with song, moving back and forth between the two, all the while maintaining a cracking pace.
There’s even a poetic offering and tap dancing.
You’re a Catch! Why are You Single? covers heterosexual and same sex relationships and confusion between the two.
And it’s not just about the young. Turning 40 is a crisis point.
More than that, can a single dad who has made a meal of his marriage successfully dip into the well again?
One scene involving the loss of a child is particularly poignant.
I loved the diversity of content. It shows that much thought has gone into engaging, amusing, provoking and emoting the audience.
The talented cast (and keyboard player Eric Freedman) do a fine job with the material.
The septet (Bek Schilling, Marcus Doherty, Courtney Holt, Emily Jacker-Lawrence, Alexis Longley, Blake Peiper and Brenton Shaw) wax and wane (solo, as duets and in groups) with the ribald and poignant pieces.
All are very good. I single out Doherty for special mention because he adroitly handles some particularly funny pieces, as well as the most moving.
There’s also a very amusing Tinder sequence fronted by Schilling.
I wondered about the frequent shifts from the spoken word to the warbled.
I feel the show could readily be transposed into one or the other and benefit as a result.
Perhaps, even, both could be attempted as complete individual showcases of the perils of dating.
Still, what was on offer undoubtedly succeeded in generating peals of laughter as well as more reflective moments, rightfully earning resounding applause.
While most of the characters in You’re a Catch! Why are You Single? miss out, the good natured tragicomedy is a winner.