Phoebe Bakker
An elevated surrealist performance awaits in Suckin Diesel created by Holly Furey and Ursula McGinn, as we are introduced to our titular lead – ‘Good Gurl’ being kept in Tallaght hospital against her will. In an exploration of the challenges that Modern women face and have faced for generations in Ireland which leaves you struck in the labyrinth of it all.
In a surprising turn of events, there’s a snow storm in spring which is bad news for Good Gurl as it means she’s stuck in the hospital with only the staff and bed mate for company – each with their unique quirks. Why she’s here? I’m sure the title can give you a clue. In this bizarre setting we dance across time in memories of different spaces, different rhythms and all tying to this question: why did she do it?
High concept requires high skill for pretty much every aspect if you want your audience to be able to follow along with the story your telling and this show has precision down to a T. From the moment that you enter the concept is laid out neatly – we’re in a fever dream of a hospital. It’s camp, it transcends time . The costumes take on this otherworldly space. It’s dreamy, like going in and out of consciousness. It would be so easy to be lost within this space but McGinn’s directing means I follow every characters purpose, meaning and intention even when I don’t quite understand the larger picture yet.
The writing is astonishingly clever, delivering humour and wit but still able to be poignant and thoughtful whilst maintaining connection to the over arching concept. It’s a dizzying experience when we see how each fragment connects to another. Things portrayed with humour is often tackling quite serious topics – there’s a beautiful moment where where Good Gurl is asked what her unlucky numbers are and when were told what the reason for this is it’s quite eye opening for the audience however is quickly skipped over by the male characters.
Each character becomes this caricature of something very truthful and relevant to a woman life. One male characters switches between every male figure in Good Gurl’s life with a distinct lack of being a able to remember his own name while we are greeted with a biscuit thieving older female character who potentially might be Good Gurl in the future or might just be a representation of older women living in society – it’s hard to say which and ultimately doesn’t matter as the struggle remains the same.
These characters are taken to the extreme of the archetype being portrayed and truthfully while I believe the messaging are points that a lot of women are familiar with – the unapologetic nature of how each character reveals these messages still managed to shock me. I don’t I’ve heard a lot of these points told so honestly before and that’s the benefit of having such outlandish characters and a true nod to how successful each aspect of this concept was done.
References are made throughout the show to Good Gurl and her crimes against the state invoke imagery of the famous gone girl cool girl monologue – twisted into an Irish perspective. What it means to be able to live as a woman In Ireland – all these rules that seemingly men can get away with that mean but in order to be ‘Good Gurl’ is needed to follow. Ultimately, Suckin Diesel is a rebellious act – the ways in which woman look to survive interspliced with these revealing moments that show the level of resilience pushed to the edge. By the end there’s a clutter on the floor, mostly produced by the actions of the men in the show however we’re too busy enveloped by each woman banding together and having some well deserved fun. A beautiful display of defiance of the expectation that often times women are expected to clean up the mess left behind by men – this time it stays there but the women get to persevere.
I think it’s that obvious that a lot things are left open to interoperation throughout the show and the fractured reality of the world built does mean at times things are confusing and you will be left to sit there in the confusion. While I maintain that the intentions of each of the characters is extremely clear I did struggle to work out where we were in the plot and why certain things happened when they did. I do think that reflection after the show allowed me to think more about these concepts more in depth but during it could be quite hard to piece things together as quick as I think they wanted, which meant that I missed some really lovely moments of the show which felt like a shame.
Bold, ferocious and just darn clever Suckin Diesel is a beautiful example of taking a high concept and making it relevant to every person while maintaining heart and soul. It’s success no doubt lies in the creatives behind this show skill and attention to detail in every aspect of this performance. A magical journey of a show that’ll leave you with questions for days.
Recommended Drink: Syphoned diesel from a jeep poured into a martini glass, a loose screw for garnish
Performances of Suckin Diesel have now concluded at Dublin Fringe 2024.
Jake Mace
