I don’t know about you, but whenever I buy groceries I constantly worry about the possibility of a dystopian future where a single company has control over all of our fruit and vegetables. The thought of it raising prices exponentially until only the extremely wealthy can afford a single stick of kale gets me down. Apparently it also concerns the folks at The Cutting Room Floor, so much so that they took to Paper Mountain on William street to show Fringe-goers a wickedly dark comedy about it: ‘The War on Food’.
In this pricey future, all the fresh food is controlled by the aptly named “Coleworths”, and 3 unlikely amigos (Sage, Basil and Rosemary) unite to bring them down with some grass-roots, guerrilla warfare and locally grown potatoes. These brave, modern, merry men stand up to the pathetic produce Nazis with little more than clandestine meetings in red wine only bars and their own two hands. They fight for justice, nutrition and reasonably priced lemons.
In semi-clichéd Fringe World style, ‘The War on Food’ is not be the best produced show, with some wobbly hand-cut wigs, an open-plan layout that made audience members crane their necks to see all the action, and incredibly minimal staging. This was all made up for with excellently witty dialogue, very clever sets and brilliantly committed actors. It was very impressive to see such a small cast present a wide range of characters with simple changes in costume and demeanour – and at such a snappy pace.
Frankly, this play was incredibly good – plain and simple. The concept is relatable for everyone from kids to adults, the writing is incredibly wry and fresh, and the cast execute it with phenomenal finesse. It seems that The Cutting Room Floor can do no wrong and I truly hope ‘The War on Food’ gets a second season some day.
Words by Caz Stafford
‘The War on Food’ ran as a part of the Fringe World Festival at Paper Mountain. It was worth it’s weight in apples.