Review

REVIEW: Rose Matafeo: Horndog – 5*

REVIEW: Rose Matafeo: Horndog – 5*

Radio Ha-Ha! talks Ha-Ha!

Written by Sarah Exton

As we enter the final full week of the Fringe, it is easy to lose steam and find that you’re dragging yourself across the finish line. The idea of going to another show just chips away at you ever so slightly, and you wonder why you commit yourself to a whole month of entertainment when you could easily wrap yourself up in a blanket burrito at home and binge-watch Netflix.

If you’re in need of a show that will reboot your enthusiasm and energy towards the Fringe, then this is the one the watch.

Beginning her show by playing ping pong with audience members, Rose Matafeo doesn’t waste any time setting the tone for her show ‘Horndog’.

Rose explores topics such as the struggles of being a heterosexual woman in 2018 amongst the midst of the #MeToo movement; the fact she’s only kissed nine boys, and the lack of sexual education on female masturbation. Who knew that women being told to just “explore” for themselves was a worldwide issue?

Her relatable content on teenage-hood struggles, alongside the use of nostalgic music, new memes, old photos and a great use of WordArt, left audience members in stitches. ‘Horndog’ is a high-energetic performance, from beginning to end, and Rose’s ability to maintain such momentum demonstrates her talent as a comedian. Although the show contained cultural references that millennial audiences would definitely enjoy, this doesn’t isolate the older generation, as the elderly women cackling next to me proved.

Even when it appeared her mind had side tracked and she was going off script, everything about ‘Horndog’ seemed tidy and well structured. There may be no real moral to take away from the show, as Rose openly explains, but one thing you can leave the theatre certain of is her passion and talent in comedy. This seemingly hyperactive Kiwi comes across as a quirky individual, rather than someone who needs to be institutionalised, and her energy is contagious. You’ll leave the show as though you’ve had a shot of an energy drink that has 200% of your daily sugar intake, your heart is just a constant vibration and you’re confident that you could take on Pamplona’s running of the bulls.

The K-Pop finale to ‘Horndog’ rounded things off perfectly. If anything, it probably summed up Rose and the show neatly as being fun, bonkers, well-choreographed and a surprisingly great sense of rhythm.

‘Horndog’ is sold out at the Pleasance Courtyard, but tickets are still available at the Pleasance Dome – KingDome on the 24th & 25th at 10PM. Grab your tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/rose-matafeo-horndog-1

Radio Ha-Ha

August 20th, 2018

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