Printable CopyTINDER SURPRISE
Goodwood Institute Theatre
Until 05 Mar 2017

Review by Paige Mulholland

Just like an uncomfortable Tinder date, “Tinder Surprise” had some pros (a few laughs and good stories to tell your friends) and a few cons (a little long, a little rambling, and a little slow to start). Whether you’re a Tinder virgin or a Tinderella, the show is a funny, if a little stereotypical, window into the modern dating world.

“Tinder Surprise” follows Mike and Fiona as they attempt to swipe their way to love, battling through some questionable matches on the way. Watching the two characters deal with all walks of life, from stalkers to vampires to surprise cousins, was entertaining, but didn’t merit seventeen separate skits – for a comedy to be two acts long, particularly during the Adelaide Fringe when audiences’ attention spans become short and unforgiving as they look to the next show it needs to be something engaging. If “Tinder Surprise” had only shown two or three unsuccessful dates for each character, that would have been sufficient. After seventeen scenes of failed conquests, the jokes feel a little less funny and the concept feels worn out.

The stereotypical dates also feel a little dated – more appropriate for online dating ten years ago than Tinder now. Comedies based on trends and pop culture are at their funniest when they reflect real life, and really, who has recently Tinder matched with a vampire? In a world where potential dates could be liveblogging the whole experience, Facetiming someone else or committing any number of modern social faux-pas, the writers’ choices of dates sometimes fell a little short. That said, there were certainly some funny moments and some apt scenes

The cast took a while to warm up, but built up to strong performances. All actors were obviously well rehearsed and, although the sassy bartender (Director Theodore Girgolas) was certainly the highlight of the show, the performers were consistently in character and elicited plenty of laughs from the audiences.

Overall, “Tinder Surprise” won’t be much of a surprise, but it’s good fun. For those looking for a fun, simple night at the Fringe, swipe right on “Tinder Surprise”.

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)