One Flea Spare: Orange-gasm

The thing I remember most from the production of One Flea Spare is the smell of the orange. Two seconds after Bunce shoves the orange on to Mr. Snelgrave’s finger, the sweet smell hit me. I felt this was extremely powerful, because of the sexual imagery of Snelgrave’s finger in the wet fruit that was literally dripping on the floor.

Seeing a production on stage is always much more interesting than, say, film or in text, because it’s a 3-D experience. But when all the senses are engaged, its even better. You couldn’t help but feel like you were in Snelgrave’s place, with the overwhelming scent of the orange surrounding you. And while the audience couldn’t feel the wet stickiness, we heard the juice falling to the ground, and we had an indication of just how juicy this orange was.

Bunce’s intense stare at this moment, was also extremely effective in communicating the intimate nature of this act. The air seemed to thicken while he stared at the stuttering Snelgrave. Talk about intimacy.