Reviewed by: The List
Review by Jo Schofield | 08 March 2024
Ginge and Minge (Nina Hogg and Megan Connolly) are a lovable pair of bogans who first crossed paths in primary school in a small town in New Zealand. Jez has moved across the ditch to Australia and Jace has followed him. Or is it the other way around? We witness mayhem unfolding as a lad realises he’s fallen in love with his best mate, taking the most bogan approach possible to resolve his heartache: seeking advice from a random person in a public restroom. Get ready to join in and enjoy a series of hilarious one-liners as they follow terrible advice given (by the audience). Underneath the sometimes ridiculous improv (that runs down a few dead ends) is a good story, well told, with revelations of masculine vulnerability and the courage of queerness in rural communities. There are plenty of colloquial references, highlighting the close relationship (aka rivalry) between Australia and New Zealand in the most wholesome of ways. Jez & Jace deliver a critique of how dumb mullet-wearing bogans can be without any sting; it’s kind of like Barbie guiding poor, misguided Ken back from the dark side of toxic masculinity. Naturally though, romance wins the day.