Venue: Castlereagh Boutique Hotel (Sydney NSW), Sep 26 – 30, 2023
Creators: Malika Reese, Lillian Rodrigues-Pang
Cast: Malika Reese, Lillian Rodrigues-Pang
Theatre review
The Church of the Clitori by Malika Reese and Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, welcomes one and all to its place of worship, where the idea of the feminine reigns supreme, along with the gratification derived from the only human organ known for its singular purpose of providing pleasure. We are urged to revert to matriarchal forms of organising societies, where our values and beliefs relate more to the flesh and hence with a greater sense of sensual interpersonal connection, rather than cannibalistic modes of dealing with each other, such are our inclinations when men are in power.
The piece is careful to state from the outset that the clitoris to which it refers is about a mindset, an allegory for the Inner Goddess accessible by all persons, regardless of the physical manifestations their actual genitals may take. There is however an abundance of literal clitoral representations at the church, to ensure we make full use of the hour, to cleanse us of the persistent imposition of phalluses in our real normal lives.
Reese adopts the moniker of The Labias, while Rodrigues-Pang performs the part of the High Priestess, both humorous and warm in presence, as they assert their doctrine of enlightened womanhood, to a congregation that simply must relent to their insistence of cheery audience participation. Their presentation is amusing from beginning to end, sensitively considered but vivaciously delivered. It can feel rough around the edges, but the rawness it embodies is commensurate with its message of repudiation and subversion. The homespun aesthetic is almost essential, for a work that urges a retreat from capitalism, from colonialisation and white supremacy. It encourages suspicion about things that are too glossy and tidy.
Humans should perhaps stop aspiring to be like robots and other machines. We can be productive and efficient, but those should not be the core of our existence. For many years we have allowed an industrialisation and commercialisation of our worlds to extend incrementally into our souls, but at The Church of the Clitori we can reassess and rethink, and maybe make better decisions about, well, everything.
Suzy Goes See 