Cockfight

A combination of dialogue, dance and physical comedy, Cockfight is a highly amusing exploration of male competitiveness, created by Gold Coast-based artists’ collaboration The Farm and brought to Melbourne by Dance Massive 2017.

It took me a while to warm up to the concept. I questioned why the two characters, an older man and a younger man, were competing with each other. Eventually I gave into it as a humorous reflection of the absurdity of human behaviour.

Performers Joshua Thomson and Gavin Webber met the demands of this highly physical show with flair. Following the slow-motion opening scene, the show was dialogue heavy at first. It slowly built into a physical battle of the two characters, their treatment of each other becoming increasingly absurd.

The ambitious slow-motion sequences displayed great strength and mastery of the body. This continued into the scene where they were attached to each other by neck ties. I sat on the edge of my seat, frightened I was going to witness an Isadora Duncan moment. They flew jointly around the stage without harm, cleverly incorporating counter-balance to complete the task.

They certainly got plenty of laughs from the audience. I found some of the humour lacked originality, such as the scene when their behaviour deteriorated to mimicking apes. There were also daring and original ideas, such as using chair legs as antlers for a head-butting fight.

A fun-filled romp combining humour and impressive physicality, sure to please comedy and dance fans alike.

Sophia Dickinson

Photographer: Kate Holmes.