One of the quirks of the Edinburgh Fringe is that it is a showcase for theatre shows and performances from across the globe. Some of those productions are supported by their country, and presented under an ‘umbrella’ label, and promoted as a cultural delegation. “Here is the art that we are currently supporting, and that we think says something to the world”, the label suggests. Tomato then is part of the season of shows presented by Taiwan.
The show is quite short – with a running time of only 30 minutes, making it one of the briefest productions we’ve seen at the Fringe this year. However, every moment is packed with activity. The show blends movement, audio, and live video footage, to create an orgiastic Fantasia on a Fruit (that is sometimes a vegetable – apparently, it’s all a matter of size). Concerned with the nature of intimate human relationships, and how we choose our partners, the audience observes three performers being stripped of all barriers as they come to embrace their desires – through the allegory of picking
tomatoes.
This may sound very serious and depressing, and somewhat unapproachable, but there are, as in all human relationships, moments of humour and joy in amongst the angst and questioning, and with many interpretations available, it’s possible to derive your own understanding of what the production might be trying to say. There’s also some light audience interaction, which forces us to confront how focused society becomes on the relationship choices of others, and how much we will sit and act like voyeurs of other’s lives.
With surely the highest soft-produce budget in the Fringe, it should be noted that sitting in the front two rows gains you the serious possibility of ending up splattered in tomato juice, seeds, skin, and even pulp, as the cast bring the show to its climatic finale, which perhaps suggests that some relationships are destructive, whilst others offer more solid support. This is a very challenging piece at times, and there’s some fairly uncomfortable knife-play, along with partial nudity and simulated sex, meaning that, in our opinion, the show is definitely not suitable for anyone under the age of sixteen.
