Quiet Little Fox
The Tuxedo Cat – Blue Room, Feb 18 – 26
Staged in the somewhat derelict surrounds of The Tuxedo Cat, Skin House enjoyed a well-attended performance in the first-floor Blue Room.
Co-written and performed by the duo of Fleur Kilpatrick (director), and Kristina Benton (composer), Skin House delves into the reality of living and working in Melbourne’s sex industry. Benton’s story is the crux of this piece; through dialog and musical composition the pair present a window into fifteen years spent in the industry as a worker and a madam.
This play exposes an intriguing and sordid subject matter with sensitivity, honesty and humor. Benton’s presence infuses the performance with authenticity and is crucial to its overall appeal. Kilpatrick showcases her diversity, singing beautifully and dramatising unselfconsciously. Many of the show’s highlights come in the form of vocal duets between the two; the score is small but lovely and adds much to the piece.
While occasionally self-indulgent and cathartic, Skin House is well written and executed. Both Kilpatrick and Benton do well to ignore an unfortunately high level of raucous noise invading from the show down the hall, commendably never losing intensity or focus. Well worth checking out.
Nicole Russo
