Review: Curried Goat and Fishfingers, Old Vic

This was the first half (preceding Eno Mfon’s Check the Label, reviewed here) of a pairing of short performances offering complementary but differing explorations of identity.

In an era in which a major global artist can release several unfinished and seemingly ever-changing versions of an album he claims to be the best of all time, and others, less known but better critically acclaimed, can abandon the format entirely, dumping 110 mp3 files online to download for free, a theatre performance which only very loosely binds together musings, poems, jokes and song clips without any commanding narrative need not raise many eyebrows.

Certainly there was more than enough in Edson Burton and Miles Chambers’ Curried Goat and Fishfingers to provoke contemplation and heartfelt laughter, despite the absence of discernible form. The pair are old friends, able storytellers, gifted poets and charming raconteurs – as well as questionable dancers, a foible they extensively and endearingly demonstrated.

Their performance delivered an interesting exploration of identity, particularly on being Black and British – but also Bristolian, Christian, male and mates. All good friends are in part enablers of our self-indulgence, and it was a pleasure to be party to their moments of mutual reflection, not least over their roots beyond both Bristol and these shores.

One of the better monologues came from Chambers in his poem in praise and lament of this city and its cruel past. I’ve found part of Bristolians’ charm is that they too often dilute expressions of love for their hometown with self-deprecation – while also skipping over its darkest episodes – so I was glad to hear someone express unrestrained love for Bristol whilst still acknowledging the continued legacy of slavery on its streets.

Chambers and Burton are both writers, and it was their writing rather than their performances that provided the show’s highlights: a week or so longer in rehearsal might have enabled the production to match the quality of their words. Burton recited a genuine peach of a poem on our propensity to demean ourselves in pursuit of the affections of someone we love – and lose their respect as we shape-shift into what we think they want us to be – while Chambers’ retort, on the love of a son for his father, was also very good indeed.

And there were other excellent lines from both men, including during poignant explorations of the search for a sense of belonging and of the injustices that racism continues to create. In a culture where hard-fought but still moderate or occasional successes in the fight against bigotry ensure some white voices feel able to declare a post-racial age and dismiss identity politics as self-indulgence, they reminded us that any sense of inconvenience over still having to discuss discrimination is minute compared to what is endured by those who suffer at its hands.

“I’m fed up of being a statistic,” Chambers told us. And right-on theatre goers were not saved discomfort: hours later, I still found myself reflecting on my answer to his question: “What’s the first thing you noticed about me?”

Curried Goat and Fishfingers was at Bristol Old Vic Studio from Wed, Feb 24 to Sat, Feb 27. For upcoming BOV shows visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk/shows.html 

Pic: Jack Offord