Maybe it was the 10pm curtain or the Ting-Tings pre-show soundtrack. Maybe it was the average audience age (30 years, roughly, according the production) but an unmistakable buzz was building at e-Geaux (beta), an original, hilarious Gen Y jab-fest hitting the Facebook generation nail on the head.
e-Geaux (beta) begins upon the audiences’ arrival, when crew members ask patrons to “opt in” to the e-Geaux Facebook application with their smart phones. In other words, you give them all your Facebook data so they can crunch your numbers, pictures and politics to create a customized show. (And for all you data-paranoids out there, it is well worth it and your data protection is guaranteed.)
The show then segues into a series of skits showcasing e-Geaux (beta), the hottest new application brought to you by up-and-coming tech company, Pepys. Joseph Price leads the production, portraying a young computer mogul (or at least a mogul in his own mind). He and his hilarious team (Catherine Deadman and Jason Pittman) go on to demonstrate their product by engaging the audience and using their data to do so.
The show soars on a multitude of levels, poking fun at our narcissistic uses for technology and the evolution of social interaction. The premise shines in a way that’s only possible when the farce is so very close to the truth. We laugh because it is ridiculous. We laugh because it is honest.
The production is technically smooth (naturally) and hits all the comedic marks with ease, keeping the audience happy as they hold a microscope to their strange yet accepted online culture habits.
The talent behind the scenes and on the stage is obvious and enormous. The skill and insight to create this kind of fusion really speaks for itself. This piece, though, is for a very specific crowd: tech savvy or simply young. With all of the Facebook culture references and online dating send-offs, it would probably be difficult for, say, your great uncle Carl to get on board and laugh. That doesn’t devalue its message; it just limits its audience.
e-Geaux (beta)’s biggest downfall is the show’s conclusion, which feels abrupt and somewhat flat, and with a run time curbing at an hour, the show falls on the short side.
If you’re a member of the right demographic, you couldn’t ask for a livelier Fringe evening than e-Geaux (beta). It’s on to something. And the buzz filtering through the audience wasn’t just the sound of smart phones booting up or tweets being received. It’s social commentary, it’s satire, it’s improvisation, it’s comedy wrapped up in a pretty, fast-paced package.
What more could one ask for? Just a longer show.
e-Geaux (beta) has 2 more performances at the Goethe Institut – 812 7th St. NW, Washington DC.
Tickets
Sarah gives this our top rating, making it a Pick of the Fringe.
Click here for more Fringe reviews
Related:
Thank you for coming to our show and for your constructive comments! One quick note: The performer the night you saw the show was Jason Pittman, not Derek Hills. Thanks again!