Fringe Festival: A Tactile Dinner

A Tactile Dinner, produced by Banished? Productions and running as part of the Capital Fringe Festival, which kicks off today, offers up seven courses from Polyrhythmic Salad to Magic Food, but don't expect to leave with a full stomach. Inspired by the Futurists, these courses feed the senses in a fun and sometimes silly and quirky participatory production, all guided by the "Marvolous Marinetti" himself, the author of the Futurist Manifesto.

The performance places heavy emphasis on all five of the senses, and produces a plethora of texture to be consumed by each one. For touch, the audience is outfitted with "pajamas" and are instructed multiple times to "feast on your neighbor's pajamas." This involves touching and fondling of the various fabrics, feathers and objects that adorn the costumes given to audience members.

Taste is definitely front and center of this production and the small amounts of food that are offered throughout the courses are interesting and varied. Salty, sweet and spicy flavors are present and their presentations and instructions for consumption are exotic.

Sound is a constant and the audience is sometimes subjected to overwhelming noises. During the first course the audience is given a salad mix on top of a hand crank music box. Marinetti instructs the audience to eat the salad with one hand and turn the music box with the other. The order of "turn and eat" is repeated over and over, faster and faster while the waitstaff adds vomiting noises. The course concludes in an abrupt frenzy of these orders and sounds.

For smell, the third course indulges this sense with "Aerofood." The audience is given a choice of vegetarian or meat and then presented with their selection in a balloon-like object. Marinetti gives the instruction to inhale the sent of the vegetarian chanterelle mushrooms or the meat selection of roast beef.