It’s safe to say that the multi-talented Ruxy Cantir has a most original show in the singular Pickled Republic. Descended from the Theatre of the Absurd, the show visits existential crisis upon a captive population of fruit and vegetables. Fated to life within ‘the jar’ and submerged in brine, the occupants face either consumption or inevitable decay.
Essentially a one-woman cabaret, Cantir conjures a diverse, organic line-up through a mix of costume, accent, and body transformation. No two are remotely alike, from the tomato with dreams of being eaten to a socially awkward slam-poet onion.
“Expect memorably punny tunes from a glamorous potato and a doom-laden encounter with a prodigious baby carrot.”
Expect memorably punny tunes from a glamorous potato and a doom-laden encounter with a prodigious baby carrot.
Cantir exhibits a fine talent for comedy throughout, able to make an audience laugh with a curious look, gesture or sound before uttering a word. There’s something rather classic about her approach to character comedy, pitched somewhere between a young Paul Merton and Morecambe and Wise. If some of the set-up promises a little more pay-off than is delivered, her schtick is still well-pitched, effective, and continually innovative.
Ultimately, of course, Pickled Republic is a mortality play and there’s a healthy sprinkling of mould and death throughout. The potato might face it with a Sinatra-esque ‘I did it my way’ energy, but the uneaten tomatoes should be so lucky. You may never think of the word ‘ketchup’ in quite the same light ever again.
Cantir lavishes each element of her play with care and attention, each character utterly distinct from personality to physicality. The transitions are smooth rather than perfunctory, and as each new fruit or veg appears there’s a sense of the performer sharing in the audience’s amused curiosity.
“You may never think of the word ‘ketchup’ in quite the same light ever again.”
Ultimately this is a fine piece of theatre and a wonderfully friendly gateway into the absurd. There’s probably nothing new left to say about mortality which hasn’t been in the millennia of human theatre, but artistic confrontations with the reaper come in far less delightful, interesting, and surprisingly packaged than Ruxy Cantir’s Pickled Republic.
Featured Image: Andy Catlin
Show Details
Venue: Traverse Theatre
Dates: 9 February 2024
Showtimes:
- 6:00 pm
Age Recommendation: 14+
Running Time: 1 hour
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible Venue
- Wheelchair Accessible Toilet
- Audio Enhancement System
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