Tag Archives: comedy

Review: Teenage Dick (Flight Path Theatre)

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Venue: Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Jul 19 – Aug 5, 2023
Playwright: Mike Lew
Director: Dan Graham
Cast: Thom Blake, Amy Victoria Brooks, Holly-Jane Cohle, Gemma Dart, Keira Fairley, Rocco Forrester, Chloe Ho, Dean Nash
Images by Andrea Magpulong

Theatre review

When Richard decides to campaign for class president at his high school, it is as much an indication of his ambition, as it is of a thirst for revenge. Based on Shakespeare’s Richard III, Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick transposes the anti-hero to a contemporary context, turning the protagonist into a much younger man, but retains his narrative of disability. This excellent update from 2016, like the original, is both comedic and tragic, brilliantly constructed to have us shifting in our attitudes regarding the problematic central character. With its sophisticated methodology for advocacy, depictions of disability in Teenage Dick are never patronising, with Lew demonstrating an immense capacity for presenting humanity in ways that resonate deeply, without relying on cliché and convention.

Directed by Dan Graham, we are transported convincingly to Roselands High School somewhere in the United States, where the teenagers are delightfully rambunctious and disarmingly bright. Lights by Casey-Moon Watton and sound by Dean Nash are prudently rendered, to bring dramatic emphasis to key moments. Set and costume design by Holly-Jane Cohle are vibrant and whimsical, wonderfully charming with the visuals aspects being established for the staging.

Additionally, the aforementioned Nash and Cohle leave remarkable impressions playing Richard and Buck respectively, both accomplished and endearing as performers, on a stage that buzzes with constant energy. Amy Victoria Brooks as teacher Elizabeth, and Rocco Forrester as bully Eddie, are memorable for the accuracy they bring to their roles. Gemma Dart and Chloe Ho tell meaningful stories, about the challenges faced by girls as they prepare to grow into their womanhood. Thom Blake and Keira Fairley are endlessly amusing with the boisterousness they introduce, to remind us of that characteristic anxiety involved in navigating teenage life.

Our cultures seem very accustom to portrayals of disadvantaged members of society, as either long-suffering and noble, or despicable and Machiavellian. In Teenage Dick we are urged to consider our marginalised as being thoroughly human, with as many virtues and faults as anyone thought of as normal. We understand that Richard could have done the right thing, or the wrong, because the ability to go either way, is thoroughly and disappointingly, the truth about who we all are.

www.flightpaththeatre.org | www.divergenttheatrecollective.com

Review: The Hero Leaves One Tooth (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jul 14 – 29, 2023
Playwright: Erica J. Brennan
Director: Cam Turnbull
Cast: Kira-Che Heelan, Michael Mcstay, Tom Rodgers, Cara Whitehouse, Claudia Shnier, Patricio Ibarra, David Woodland
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Neeve had gone through great pains, to remove the teeth from her vagina, only to discover that it all grows back after 5 days. In Erica J. Brennan’s The Hero Leaves One Tooth, the folkloric phenomenon of vagina dentata is explored within a context, that feels very much like our contemporary reality. It is the post-#MeToo era, and even our biology is acting up, with our bodies creating new ways of retaliation against the patriarchy. Cleverly conceived, Brennan’s writing is abundant in intrigue, but slightly deficient with its narrative. Even though dialogue tends to be excessively obtuse, its personalities are imbued with enigmatic charm.

Direction by Cam Turnbull revels in the surrealist qualities of the play, fashioning flamboyant gestures that deliver an enjoyable theatricality, although some of the comedy can feel forced and contrived. Set design by Meg Anderson needs greater consideration for exits and entrances, but is otherwise effective in transforming the space into a site of familiar domesticity. Jasmin Borsovszky’s lights are robust and ambitiously rendered, to depict both realism and something decidedly more nightmarish. Sound by Zac Saric and music by Alexander Lee-Rekers with Saric, keep us in a state of anxiety, for a show determined to expose our world for its unrelenting bleakness. Songs by Jake Nielsen add comically macabre dimensions, furthering a sense of the bizarre.

The cast is somewhat lacking in chemistry, but individual performances are generally strong. Kira-Che Heelan’s visible restraint as Neeve, conveys with accuracy how we deal with trauma in everyday life. Michael McStay’s exuberance as Felix is a comical study in a kind of psychological denialism. In the role of Sasha is Claudia Shnier, who brings emotional intensity at the moment it matters most. Playing Mark with pertinent generosity, is David Woodland who manufactures complexity, in place of simplistic adversarial relationships.

In The Hero Leaves One Tooth, we observe that no matter what mental gymnastics a person puts themself through, the body will simply refuse to pretend that feelings do not exist. Some injuries can be healed, but it requires investment into processes that are usually more extensive than we are ready to submit ourselves to. Pain is often a sustained and prolonged experience. The mind will do what it can, in efforts to numb, for temporary relief, but there is no meaningful displacement that can occur outside of a person’s being. Terror manifests, maybe not as belligerent teeth in the vagina, but the body certainly needs a comprehensive experience of the truth.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.ratcatchtheatre.com

Review: Forgetting Tim Minchin (25A Belvoir)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 12 – 19, 2023
Book, Music and Lyrics: Jules Orcullo
Director: Amy Sole
Cast: Jules Orcullo, Nova Raboy
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Jules quit her job and moved home during the pandemic, thinking she would take the opportunity to really develop her art. Just when she becomes exasperated about the lack of progress, an accidental social media post exposes her talent to childhood idol Tim Minchin, and things begin to magically fall into place. Jules Orcullo’s original musical Forgetting Tim Minchin is a deeply whimsical work, full of genuine hilarity, juxtaposed against an unrelenting and disarming commitment to emotional authenticity. Despite its creator’s many reminders that the story is mostly fictional, the musical captivates seemingly effortlessly, with its enchanting blend of comedy and heartfelt moments.

The show is hugely entertaining, directed by Amy Sole whose detailed approach ensures an extraordinary attention to nuance, so that we are seduced into the tiny microcosm of Jules’ bedroom, where a world of imagination and passion is allowed to flourish. Set and costume design by Hailley Hunt are rendered with accuracy, for familiar imagery that speaks on where and who the characters are, in both geographical and socio-economic terms. Lights by Kate Baldwin offer meaningful transformations of space, transporting us across various degrees of reality.

Most of the musical accompaniment is pre-recorded, and although arranged in the simplest style, the songs are never any less than thoroughly delightful. Along with a sound design by Christine Pan and musical direction by Andy Freeborn, all that we hear in this musical production, endears us to its central characters, making us understand and care for them, at every moment.

As performer, Orcullo is a magnetic presence, with an ability to access a certain inner truth, that makes her audience defenceless and entirely open to whatever may come, in this unpredictable journey. Playing Jules’ mother is Nova Raboy, whose remarkable capacity for tenderness and warmth, draws us further into the storytelling. Movement direction by Lauren Nalty gives both performers a sense of structured form and discipline to their physicality, to imbue a visual finesse that further elevates the production.

Forgetting Tim Minchin delivers laughter and tears, in copious amounts. It is an opportunity for emotional catharsis, but probably more importantly, it is an exercise in empathy at a time when we feel increasingly persuaded to become hardened and unfeeling. Orcullo’s work showcases a vulnerability that modern life is rarely capable of accommodating, yet is unequivocally intrinsic to the human experience, and foolish of us to neglect. With computers poised to take over every mechanical aspect of our existence, we should perhaps consider a great retreat into the essentially constitutive human materials, of flesh and spirituality; learn anew to celebrate an attention to vulnerability, and begin to strip off generations of cladding enclosed around it, leave behind what was meant to protect, but have inadvertently made us increasingly inhuman.

www.thejoyoffensive.com | www.belvoir.com.au

Review: Miss Peony 牡丹小姐 (Belvoir St Theatre)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 1 – 29, 2023
Playwright: Michelle Law
Director: Courtney Stewart
Cast: Gabrielle Chan, Stephanie Jack, Deborah Faye Lee, Mabel Li, Charles Wu, Shirong Wu
Images by Sherry Zheng

Theatre review

Lily is haunted by her recently deceased grandmother Adeline, whose dying wish was for Lily to be crowned winner at Miss Peony, a beauty pageant for young women of the Chinese diaspora. Adeline is determined that her granddaughter becomes part of that long and illustrious history, even if Lily is completely uninterested in having anything to do with that tradition. In Michelle Law’s Miss Peony 《牡丹小姐》, we see a young Australian woman of Chinese ancestry coming to a greater appreciation of her cultural heritage, whilst retaining her identity as a Western progressive.

The play is uproariously funny yet deeply moving, containing all the ingredients necessary for a gripping theatrical experience. It is additionally pertinent, that the work is trilingual (in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, with corresponding surtitles) and suited to all ages, thus creating a rare opportunity for multi-generational engagement. Directed by Courtney Stewart, Miss Peony is playful and chaotic, in the most charming ways. It eschews polish, in favour of something intensely endearing, notable for its subversive embrace of hallmarks of our cultural cringe, in order to institute a sense of pride, on behalf of a community weary from decades of assimilation. Kristina Chan’s exuberant choreography too, draws attention to that in-between existence, of living at once East and West.

A spectacular set design by Jonathan Hindmarsh takes inspiration from the unabashedly glitzy affairs of many minority groups, and along with an extensive wardrobe of evening gowns straddling the beautiful and the comical, we are emphatically transported to a different middle class, one with an unmistakeably novel appeal. Vivacious lights by Trent Suidgeest address the supernatural elements as successfully as they do, the gaudy ostentation of beauty pageantry. Music by Dr Nicholas Ng is memorable for the pathos it encourages, while Julian Starr’s sound design evokes complex notions of time and space, especially with its use of pop music from pre-1997 Hong Kong.

A whimsical cast tells the story of Miss Peony with exceptional warmth and verve. Stephanie Jack brings an emotional truth to Lily, allowing the profound centre of this farce to resonate quite unexpectedly, and indeed powerfully. Adeline is played by Gabrielle Chan whose mesmerising physicality embodies everything important, in this tale of cultural dissolution and of sexism. The exacting delivery of Charles Wu, as pageant producer and master-of-ceremony Zhen Hua, gives the staging a valuable sense of elevation, but it is his flawless instincts for live performance that most strike a chord. Also leaving an excellent impression is the spirited Mabel Li, who turns the youngest contestant Sabrina into a most disarmingly adorable personality. Shirong Wu as Joy is unsurpassable with her deadpan humour, while Deborah Faye Lee’s amusing animated style gives Marcy her familiar authenticity.

As the years go by, our sensibilities around the immigrant experience, become gradually less binary. Over time, we learn to be less derisive of the places we had escaped, and more suspicious of where we have come to seek refuge. We discover ourselves at an enviable position, of being able to identify virtues from contrasting epochs, knowing how to decipher values from a vantage point of having observed competing truths. Many will not understand how a modern woman can also be a beauty queen, but Lily inhabits those contradictions, and is only richer for it.

www.belvoir.com.au

Review: Dumb Kids (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jun 23 – Jul 8, 2023
Playwright: Jacob Parker
Director: Sophia Bryant
Cast: Fraser Crane, Ryan Hodson, Mym Kwa, Oli McGavock, Lou McInnes, Dominique Purdue, Connor Reilly, Rachel Seeto, Kate Wilkins, Angharad Wise
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review

It is always between classes, when we see the young people of Jacob Parker’s Dumb Kids chatting and socialising. There is occasional talk about their impending Year Eleven Social, but these ten teenagers are mostly occupied with matters of a sexual nature. At their age especially, talking about sex is really an exploration of self identity, and in Dumb Kids we see a fascinating microcosm, representative of the state of youth culture in 2023. Australia in the future, it may seem, is no longer predominantly straight, with lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and pansexuals becoming as commonplace as heterosexuals. Trans and nonbinary people too, are no longer anomalies in how we recognise gender experiences. Queer, it may seem, is everything.

Parker’s depictions can of course be considered an exaggeration, not only of queerness, but also of a particular kindness that has hitherto eluded most stories pertaining to this cohort. Masculinity is very present in Dumb Kids but its toxic aspects have largely disappeared. Bullying and intimidation are no longer a significant driving force, in this narrative about adolescent sociality. Conformity too has subsided, with these teenagers completely at ease with notions of diversity. Angst and confusion however remain essential, for it is wholly natural to see humans never figuring everything out, about our very own existence, even after learning that we can all make different choices in self-determination.

The bold and idealistic writing is brought to life by Sophia Bryant, whose direction is memorable for imbuing a valuable authenticity, that makes the audience receptive to these radically new portrayals of our young. Along with movement choreography by Emma Van Veen, the show is visually appealing, commendable for delivering much more than configurations of bodies in naturalistic conversational postures.

Set design by Benedict Janeczko-Taylor offers a theatrical rendition of the school playground, charming with its use of colour, and clever in its creation of spatial potential for performers. Janeczko-Taylor’s delightful work extends to costumes, with intricate details that make this staging feel simultaneously real and elevated. Thomas Doyle’s lights reveal an adventurous spirit, choosing to deliver fantastical imagery rather than something more lifelike, and therefore impressive for its ambitious artistry. Music by Christine Pan keeps us in tune with the frequencies of this generation, giving definition to how the staging wishes to conceive of the here and now.

An ensemble of ten effervescent performers bring wonderful spirit and dedication to Dumb Kids, exceptional with the cohesion they have fostered so successfully. Every character is believable and likeable, in a play that resists taking sides. There is no us and them, no good people or bad people, just humans navigating one day at a time. The generosity embodied by the cast, allows for a certain utopic vision to make sense, so that we can begin to be convinced of a brighter future. When all the world turns queer, is when no group is allowed to dominate, and when no one is left outside.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.facebook.com/legittheatreco

Review: City Of Angels (Hayes Theatre)

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Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Jun 23 – Jul 23, 2023
Music: Cy Coleman
Lyrics: David Zippel
Book: Larry Gelbart
Director: Sam Hooper
Cast: Madeleine Betts, Doron Chester, Chantel Cofie, Sian Crowe, Paul Hanlon, Glenn Hill, Noah Janssen, Katelin Koprivec, Penny McNamee, Mia Morrissey, Conor Neylon, Shannen Alyce Quan, Ethan Rutledge, Marcus Rivera, Aaron Tsindos, Jessica White
Images by Grant Leslie

Theatre review

It is the 1940s and Stine is adapting his award-winning novel into a screenplay for Hollywood. Transitioning from one art form to another proves challenging, as he tries to preserve artistic integrity, in what quickly proves to be little more than a commercial venture. In the 1989 musical City of Angels, we see both Stine’s reality as well as a manifestation of his film noir creation, involving a private detective Stone and the various temptresses within his orbit. Despite its highly convoluted plot structure, the payoff is ultimately underwhelming, offering a narrative that feels much too predictable. Furthermore its humour seems not to have stood the test of time, although it must be said that music composition is its silver lining, with every song proving to be masterfully composed, by the legendary Cy Coleman.

The 3-hour production is valiantly revived by director Sam Hooper, who although demonstrates passionate verve, lacks inventiveness and an eye for detail. City of Angels not only requires great ambition, it demands a meticulousness and sophistication that few are able to muster. There is an evident lack of polish in the set design by Simon Greer, which can be blamed for the many clumsy, and noisy, scene changes. Lights by James Wallis attempt to create a sense of delineation between real and reel, but is in general too muted and lifeless. Costume designs by Esther Zhong are more accomplished, able to instinctively convey personality types of the many characters we encounter.

Music direction by Abi McCunn and Damon Wade, is the unequivocal highlight, greatly evocative of the big band era, with just seven musicians delivering all that is necessary to take us back in time, sonically at least. Singing is also of a high standard, with Glenn Hill and Aaron Tsindos (as Stine and Stone respectively), leading a cast that is never short of dedication and commitment. More memorable performances include Mia Morrissey playing dual roles of Gabby and Bobbi, introducing sensuality along with authenticity, to a production that tries to negotiate the outmoded and problematic portrayals of womanhood. Marcus Rivera is unforgettable in the number “All You Have to Do Is Wait” as Muñoz, full of intensity and unapologetic in a rare singular moment of candour, that feels suddenly resonant.

In 2023 it is perhaps no longer a surprise, that to make money, a portion of a person’s soul has to be sold, along with whatever labour is entailed in the transactive process. Just several decades ago, it had felt poignant to see an artist losing their way, when trying to exploit the big-money world of commercialised entertainment. Today at a time of late capitalism, idealism for artists seems a distant memory, yet we persist in searching for something of greater value, than what can be commodified. Within that spirit, we understand that money can never completely encompass what we do, that it is always the immaterial that represents our true purpose, even as we learn to accept that that which is material, should no longer be seen only as the evil adversary.

www.hayestheatre.com.au | www.jrpaustralia.com

Review: Benefactors (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Jun 16 – Jul 22, 2023
Playwright: Michael Frayn
Director: Mark Kilmurry
Cast: Gareth Davies, Megan Drury, Matt Minto, Emma Palmer
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

It is the late 1960s and architect David is embarking on a controversial project, of building high-rise housing in South London. Meanwhile his needy neighbour, the newly-divorced Sheila, is employed as David’s secretary, allowing the architect’s wife Jane more time to manage their busy lives. Michael Frayn’s Benefactors is over half a century old, and while its style remains delightfully quirky, the play’s concerns are largely outdated. Gender politics in particular, are presented in ways that, unfortunately, could be described as gruelling and archaic.

Director Mark Kilmurry may not have modernised Benefactors, but the production is given sustained energy to hold our attention. It bears a comedic rhythm that, although not uproarious, is pleasant enough to keep us engaged. Set design by Nick Fry evokes a Brutalism style typical of mid-century England, along with costumes that are commensurately of the period. Matt Cox’s lights help focus our gaze on a busy stage, making the visual experience feel completely organic and effortless.

Actor Gareth Davies brings great charm to the role of David, not quite able to make the passé humour work, but an enchanting presence nonetheless. Jane is played by a spirited Emma Palmer, whose inexhaustible vigour and commitment, convinces us to sit tight to the end. Megan Drury delivers admirable intensity, as the exasperating Sheila, and Matt Minto’s sense of mischief gives surprising dimension, to David’s adversary Colin.

The 1960s were a time of upheaval and accelerated change. Looking back, some of what we were, has now become barely recognisable. It may at times feel as though progress is a destination beyond reach, but incremental improvements can always be identified, even if setbacks and backlashes are resolutely par for the course. Things do get better, and there are legacies everywhere that furnish validation.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: Rabbits On A Red Planet (Flight Path Theatre)

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Venue: Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Jun 7 – 24, 2023
Book and Lyrics: Irving Gregory, Andy Leonard
Music: Ryley Gillen
Director: Isaac Broadbent
Cast: James Burchett, Sara Camara, Isabelle Kohout, Andy Leonard, Jenna Wooley
Images by Anthony Stone

Theatre review

There are giant mutant rabbits running rampant on Earth, and instead of utilising his resources to fix the problem, billionaire Muskas is heading to colonise Mars, so that he can enjoy being king somewhere else. The book and lyrics of Rabbits on a Red Planet are suitably absurd, but they are also relentlessly confusing, making its efforts to amuse appear chaotic and floundering. Composition and music direction by Ryley Gillen can feel overly derivative, but his tunes are not unenjoyable, often with a jaunty character that helps to speed things along.

The production is directed by Isaac Broadbent, who tries to institute a sense of polish and order, for a work that seems still to be in its nascent stages. Lights by Julian Dunne have a tendency to look perfunctory and repetitive, although attempts to provide some dynamism to the action can be discerned. Costume design by Alli Sebastian Wolf are memorable for flamboyant headdresses denoting alien life, and for the billionaire’s convincing spacesuits, demonstrating good use of materials that give the staging a touch of elevation.

The cast comprises James Burchett, Sara Camara, Isabelle Kohout, Andy Leonard and Jenna Wooley, all of whom unimpeachable with their level of commitment to the cause, each impressive with the quality of singing they deliver. The band too, is professional with their performance of the score, gratifying with the precision they bring to each number.

The rabbits have grown terrifying, and although they do not come into view, we know what has been done to them, given this sad state of affairs. It is without doubt that humans excel at acts of self-destruction. Whether we are any good at redemption, remains to be seen.

www.flightpaththeatre.org

Review: The Poison Of Polygamy (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jun 8 – Jul 15, 2023
Playwright: Anchuli Felicia King (based on the novel by Wong Shee Ping, translated by Ely Finch)
Director: Courtney Stewart
Cast: Ray Chong Nee, Hsin-Ju Ely, Silvan Rus, Shan-Ree Tan, Merlynn Tong, Kimie Tsukakoshi, Anna Yen, Gareth Yuen
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

Sleep-Sick appears from the very beginning, as a ghost with his throat brutally slit, indicating that things do not end well. In the 1909 novel The Poison of Polygamy《多妻毒》by Wong Shee Ping 黃樹屏, our narrating protagonist tells his epic story, of journeys between Guangdong in China, and Victoria in Australia, during the goldrush era. We soon discover that it was Sleep-Sick’s opium habit that instigated this riveting chain of events, one that Wong had undoubtedly conceived as a moralistic tale. Involving sins of greed and debauchery, The Poison of Polygamy is typical of traditional Chinese attitudes, in a style that is not unlike many classics charting a man’s downfall, following his failure to abstain from depravity.

In Anchuli Felicia King’s stage adaptation however, the moral centre is shifted from personal foibles, to an emphasis on deficiencies that are cultural and systemic in nature. Sleep-Sick’s narrative now operates as allegory, in a play that demonstrates undeniable interest, in the nature of capitalism and the detrimental effects of colonialism. King’s reshaping of The Poison of Polygamy is thereby turned into something much more pertinent to our times, one that addresses our unmitigating concerns around the idea of a decline in this civilisation. All the amusing salaciousness that feature in the original is however gloriously retained. Money, sex, and murder are key ingredients, in a show that explores our most primal and unchanging desires.

The production satisfies on many levels, under the astute directorship of Courtney Stewart, who utilises fully the text’s numerous dimensions, to deliver a complex and thoroughly engrossing work of theatre. Highly innovative and wonderfully imaginative, Stewart transforms an empty stage into  exciting scenes, offering an experience that pulsates with a continual sense of anticipation as a result of its unpredictability, and disarming with its scintillating sardonic humour.

James Lew’s design is thankfully only elementally evocative of what might be considered a Chinese aesthetic, able to circumvent the cliché of chinoiserie, whilst creating imagery that look commensurate with how we believe this world to have been. Lights by Ben Hughes are rigorously conceived, agile in shifting us between distinct spaces, and powerful at manufacturing atmosphere. Music by Matt Hsu couches the action in an air of authenticity, and along with sound design by Guy Webster, engage our hearing for a consistent feeling of enrichment, subconsciously perhaps, that boosts our enjoyment.

Actor Shan-Ree Tan is an extraordinary leading man, totally captivating with his intricate depictions of and commentary on Sleep-Sick, successfully transforming a character with many flaws into a person we are desperate to know everything about. Kimie Tsukakoshi plays femme fatale Tsiu Hei with delicious aplomb, stunning in her unapologetically grand portrayal of the seductive villain, somehow never descending into caricature, and always able to provide psychological rationale for all the outrageous behaviour.

Sleep-Sick’s long suffering wife Ma is made dignified by Merlynn Tong’s mettle and spirit. Her capacity to represent both the hardest and softest aspects of the old-fashioned Chinese woman, conveys an admirable defiance alongside the inevitable victimisation that defines her narrative. The incredibly versatile Gareth Yuen shines not only as the poet Pan, but also in two smaller roles Ng and Song, unforgettable with his impeccable timing, and a meticulously calibrated physicality that draws us deep into the nuances of everything he wishes to say. It is a fantastic cast of eight, each performer contributing passion and diligence, in what feels like an unprecedented production about Asian-Australian identities.

Through a story about early Chinese settlers, we are invited to contemplate both the contributions of minority communities on this land, as well as our rarely interrogated complicity in colonialism. The dispossession of Indigenous peoples is our greatest sin, one that non-Indigenous people of colour have yet to sufficiently own up to. In The Poison of Polygamy we observe also the disturbing congruence between Asian and white values, especially in terms of how we regard money. We may be able to celebrate what might be thought of as an Asian proclivity for sharing and for society building, but there is no denying our tendencies for exploitation and pillage. Wrongdoers in the play eventually meet their punishment, but the ending is far from happy ever after. There is a lesson to be learned about how we rectify mistakes, not only of our own but also of our forebears, and one suspects a major paradigm shift is in order.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au | www.laboite.com.au

Review: Jellyfish (New Theatre)

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Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Jun 6 – Jul 1, 2023
Playwright: Ben Weatherill
Director: Deborah Jones
Cast: Siobhan Lawless, Daniel Mackenzie, Audrey O’Connor, Joseph Tanti
Images by Bob Seary

Theatre review
When we first meet Kelly, she is 27 and never been kissed. Life with her mother Agnes is pleasant enough, both women humorous and partial to a day at the beach in Skegness, on the Lincolnshire Coast in England. When Neil enters the picture however, Agnes’ protective instincts kick into high gear, which is understandable for a caregiver of a daughter with Down syndrome; the idea of a neurotypical stranger dating Kelly, is a genuine cause for concern.

Ben Weatherill’s Jellyfish explores challenges faced by people with disabilities, especially in early adulthood, as they navigate matters of the heart and contemplate starting families. The comedy is delicately written, allowing us an opportunity to delve sensitively, into some serious subjects that are rarely broached in the mainstream.

Directed by Deborah Jones, the show is engrossing, with a generosity that proves touching in key moments. Set design by James Smithers evokes an English shoreline with whimsical charm, and costumes by Louise Fischer help us identify instinctively, the personality types we encounter. Lights and music by Michael Schell offer gentle support, to the meaningful story being told.

In the role of Kelly is Audrey O’Connor, who brings great panache, along with admirable focus, to have us invest heavily into an enlightening narrative of young womanhood. Siobhan Lawless delivers for Agnes a valuable spiritedness, effectively depicting the strength required of single parents everywhere. As Neil, Joseph Tanti is compelling, and a likeable presence who earns our trust. Also delightful is Daniel Mackenzie who performs with an enjoyable idiosyncrasy, the part of Dominic, a thoughtful young man with Asperger’s syndrome.

Jellyfish brings attention to those who are routinely under-represented, and in the process initiates discussions on autonomy. Where there is discrimination, there often is ignorance; a lack of understanding not only generates hate, it may even deprive individuals of rights. Our capacity to dehumanise one another seems to be a perennial trait, but art is a force that prevails, and with it, our hearts learn to be bigger.

www.newtheatre.org.au