PR/Gifted
If you like your feminist theatre unhinged, surreal and populated by an alarming number of puppets, B*tch Eat Dog is certainly one to seek out.
Created by Mel Carter, B*tch Eat Dog uses classical texts, gender swaps and absurdist comedy to explore the patriarchy, trad-wife culture and girlboss feminism. The message is important and, for the most part, very well handled, raising some genuinely interesting questions about the ways women are expected to behave in a modern world.
The puppetry is a particular highlight. There are so many puppets – from a man desperately attempting allyship and two oyster comedians, to a talking uterus and a group of angelic hotdogs. The skill involved in bringing these bizarre characters to life is seriously impressive, and the puppets add so much to the show’s surreal world.
Where it occasionally loses its footing is in how it brings all its ideas together. Sometimes, the important messaging is a bit lost in the show’s fast paced rhythm, so at times it can feel a little haphazard.
But B*tch Eat Dog is exactly what the Fringe is meant to be. It is inventive, surreal, feminist and wonderfully weird – and the sheer talent behind the puppetry makes it a marvellous watch.
It is a bizarre, bold and brilliantly puppeted look at the patriarchy – with angelic hotdogs thrown in for good measure.
B*itch Eat Dog is on at 22:00 at Greenside @ George Street until 29th August.
Get your tickets here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/b-tch-eat-dog
Written by Helena Featherstone
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