On entering the space, it was clear that HOLE! was going to be a very creative experience. Emmie Finckel’s set, which we were informed had only arrived at 11 am that day after being delayed in transit, looked a little like something from this year’s UK Eurovision Song Contest entry. A saucer-shaped desk occupied the stage, adorned with three keyboards, numerous instruments and devices for producing elaborate and ingenious sound effects, and butt plugs.
Yes, this show features butt plugs.
Set in Nebraska, a Presbyterian pastor has a vision he believes is from God and warns his flock that unless they wear butt plugs, they will be destroyed by the Great Sucking and sucked up by their butts to burn on the face of the sun. The story then jumps forward ten years, to after the Great Sucking, cleverly allowing us to see how the community has evolved in the face of this apocalyptic event.
But this is only the backstory.
Nestled within this rather outlandish premise is the real story: a love story.
Two friends, Luke and Connor, have grown up together in a strict religious environment where faith and the word of Pastor Garth, Luke’s father, are not to be questioned. Having shared everything, they have inevitably grown close and, as time has passed, it seems they have hidden from each other, while questioning the truth themselves, that they are in love.
As Luke and Connor approach adulthood, doubts begin to creep in. Sent by Pastor Garth to rid the world of the remaining sinners, they embark on a mission to Cincinnati that challenges their faith, identities, and friendship.
Overall, HOLE! is a very accomplished piece of work. The story is coherent, the characters are well developed, and the songs are well written, with clever use of comedic language. The songs intertwine with the dialogue with ease, while the music and percussion add atmosphere, drama, and tension.
It is very clear that writing partners Jake Brasch and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper are incredibly talented people. Brasch is a graduate of the Playwriting Program at the Juilliard School, while Leonhard-Hooper has had many of her works produced and performed professionally in the US.
Under RJ Tolan’s inventive direction, the pair also perform the show, playing numerous characters while delivering an elaborate and pacy script. Brasch plays at least two keyboards at once, while Leonhard-Hooper uses all sorts of percussive instruments and devices, carefully laid out on the desk, to add effects.
They cleverly split the roles between themselves from the outset, creating a particularly beautiful parallel in ‘A Mother Always Knows’, which comes towards the end: a quartet involving Connor and Luke’s mother, and Luke and Connor’s mother.
Their ideas are wild, pushing the envelope and, at times, almost becoming uncomfortable, but not without displaying an incredible understanding of form and what makes something successful. This, however, makes me ask the question: why butt plugs?
With its central use of a device still considered taboo, perhaps as a metaphor for our own stuck-upness, I wondered whether HOLE! might struggle to find success beyond a niche audience. Yet its sold-out runs in New York and Edinburgh, growing cult following, and forthcoming Off-Broadway production suggest that its brazen explicitness has done little to hold it back. If anything, it seems to be part of the appeal for many, just not so much for me.
The love story is a beautiful, traditional one, but the focus is often pulled towards the brazen – as the writers themselves have described their work – and I wonder if this detracts from the relationship between Connor and Luke.
HOLE! is a convincing showcase of the creative team’s extreme talent, but it is not mainstream, and I left feeling as though there was something missing. Perhaps a torch song, or something that reflected emotional development and sincerity.
Songs such as ‘We Wear Butt Plugs at All Times’ and ‘Sky Fucking in the Sky’ are funny, but is the explicit content of the show too relentless?
For me, I would say yes. It was not my cup of tea, despite the laughs I had and my appreciation for the talent before me. However, it is a marvel to witness the multitasking involved in providing accompaniment, vocals, sound effects, storytelling, and numerous characters between only two people. That is a reason in itself to attend the show.
The story is skilfully written and laid out, cleverly poking fun at the outrageous nature of cults, particularly prevalent throughout US history, and playing around with assumed conclusions and tropes. I honestly cannot find much else to be critical of. But if you are in any way offended by, or simply do not enjoy, crude humour, HOLE! is not for you. However, if jokes about butt plugs and other similarly irreverent, boundary-pushing humour are your thing, then HOLE! will likely be right up your …ahem… alley!
Hole! 5th to 30th August at Underbelly, Bristo Square – Cowbarn, Edinburgh.
Book tickets at edfringe.com
Words by Abigail Jones
Photography by Jennifer Forward-Hayter / Chewboy Productions
