Review: The Cody Rivers Show presents: Stick to Glue
Why? What evil deed did I do to have this happen to me? The second show I saw was Stick to Glue (I’m not typing the whole thing; yes, by now it would have been shorter to type it out; just deal with it) and I feel I’ve likely seen two of the best shows at the Fringe with my first two tickets (the first being Blastback Babyzap). The rest of the Fringe can’t possibly live up to this.
Where to start when discussing the organised chaos of the show? Do I talk about the intricate and layered script that is delivered at 100 kph? Do I talk about the stunning physical work and choreography of the two players, Mike Mathieu and Andrew Connor? Let’s do both.
The show opens with what seems like nonsense, then it steps into a series of very funny sketches until you realise that there’s more going on and they weave into and out of each other creating a much larger world. There are a few throwaway gags here and there just to change up the pace (they could probably be cut and not much would be missed, though I’m kind of paranoid that they’re connected and it just went over my head) and if you’re looking for light design or an emotional journey, you’re really in the wrong place because they perform in a bland wash and the only emotion I felt was awe.
Awe at the careful and elegeant construction of the script which demanded an insanely high level of performance to deliver without having it explode in their face. Awe at the mind-clawing madness they must have experienced during rehearsals to nail the flawless timing of back and forth, physically and verbally. Awe at the imagination on display on how to weave seemingly unrelated sketches together, in the presentation of transitions and one show-stopping sketch involving a space slug.
But I must warn you to be alert and bring your brains with you (in a jar or otherwise). The show is very enjoyable on the level of “oh ha, that was funny” but there are subtle references that aren’t made obvious for the casual viewer but can be teased out by paying very close attention. Stick to Glue is not simply funny, it is unbelievably funny, as in you cannot believe what you’re seeing and, my god, you’re praying for a moment to laugh but you’re terrified you might miss something.
This show gets a: Absolutely-must-see, very highly recommended, dude, seriously.
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