Originally written By Grace Flynn in 2020
Before seeing Bite Me, director Elise Wilson told me to expect “absurd humour which is layered with a metaphor” and summarised the Fringe Festival show as “feminism meets the bachelor”. After watching a chilli, an avocado and a steak desperately fight it out for the attention of male shoppers, I think Wilson hit the nail right on the head.
Predicated on the world created in the animated movie, Sausage Party, Bite Me tells the story of three unlikely friends who face their looming expiration dates in the cut-throat world of the supermarket. With an all-female cast, the characters of Ava the Avocado, Rudy the Chilli and Daisy the Steak conversationally explore the ideas of male validation and engrained gender roles as they compete to be selected by a shopper.
Although the absurdity of the play encourages a lot of laughs and creates a light-hearted atmosphere, writer Sian Murphy allows the audience to analyse the metaphor on a more serious level and draw their own parallels between theatre and reality. When conflict emerges between the image-centred, success-driven Ava and the too-cool-to-care Rudy over who deserves to be chosen by a shopper, the audience is invited to reflect on the subtle ways in which women compete against one another for male attention. Do we too prioritise potential, maybe-relationships over our real friendships?
The development of Ava the Avocado, who we recognise as the perfectionist; the narcissist; the stereotypical social media ‘influencer’, effectively uncovers the underlying insecurities perpetuated by the male gaze. In the attempt to successfully be noticed by a shopper, Ava exercises, tries to get her best angles, agonises over her plump shape and makes fun of other vegetables in the supermarket. This idea is taken further when all three characters are branded with ‘reduced to clear’ stickers, which prompts the audience to think about the concept of female desirability as directly tied to youthfulness.
While the ideas within the play aren’t necessarily complex or new amidst third-wave feminism, Bite Me still manages to open an interesting conversation about gender and female friendship and makes use of some great contemporary references along the way. Spontaneous dance scenes to the tune of well-known pop hits earned a lot of well-deserved laughs and made for an undeniably entertaining, feel-good show.