Pretending Things are a Cock

Jon Bennett—Dragon Arts Collective

The title tells you literally what this presentation covers. You know how people like to visit monuments and do cute things like pretend to pinch them, or hold them up, or lean on them? That’s Bennett’s angle, except he poses with them as his cock. Some of his depictions stand hilariously tall and some fall limp (sorry). However, the pictures only provide the setting as the stories dominate the entertainment. Similarly, some of the stories leave you howling while others left me holding my shaking head (my big head, and in a good way)! I doubt the authenticity of some of the stories but hey, they’re dick stories—how many can you actually expect to be true!

Many of the images look cute, and some of them almost look real. The poses with Jesus as a cock evoked some gasps but if you attend a show called Pretending Things Are a Cock, you should expect a measure of irreverence.

There are some minor issues. At times, Bennett speaks very quickly—coupled with his Aussie accent, it can be a bit tough to understand sometimes. You need to climb >50 steps (three floors) to get to the venue but once there, powerful air conditioning should cool you off.

One of my favourite aspects of his performance? His expressions! Look at his face as well as his “cock” in the photos! Fringe always offers a myriad of silly shows—this one isn’t as silly as the title implies, but it’s entertaining and a lot of fun.

Cock! Bennett! Cock!

Ray Yuen