I PROMISED MYSELF TO LIVE FASTER is an absurd sci-fi epic with countless phallic symbols and absolutely no sense of “too much”. What more could you ask for?
Earthling Tim (Mikeah Jennings) is in a rut and spending too much time in bed with noodles and not enough time living. It all changes when he answers an intergalactic message on his phone’s dating app that takes him travelling through space in search of the Holy Gay Flame to save all homosexuals. Not a lot about this plot makes more than allegorical sense, but it’s not really supposed to. Instead it’s supposed to be absurd, provocative fun—and it is. Mikeah Jennings and his counterpart Dito van Reigersberg work seamlessly together and have a great knack for both the timing to coax extra laughs from the audience as well as knowing when to give a glimpse of something more painful. They’re supported by an equally fun and capable cast romping around in about as imaginative clothing and set design as you’re likely to find on stage. Add to that a playfully self-aware script and it’s all a little too over the top in just the right way.
For a fast-lived Fringe night with moments of real emotion you can’t do much better than I PROMISED MYSELF TO LIVE FASTER. [Pig Iron Theatre Company] May 22-31, 2015, fringearts.com/i-promised-myself-to-live-faster.