Review: IRL (KXT on Broadway)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Apr 25 – May 10, 2025
Playwright: Lewis Trestin
Director: Eugene Lynch
Cast: Andrew Fraser, Bridget Haberecht, Dominic Lui, Leon Walshe
Images by Justin Cueno

Theatre review
Tumblr was still a thing, when teenage best friends Alexei and Taylor attended a pop culture convention in cosplay, asking big questions about identity and reality. IRL by Lewis Trestin explores that perennial search for truth, from the perspective of those born in the digital era. Immersed in facsimile representations of personalities through electronic devices, and absorbed in commercialised prescriptions of humanity, characters in IRL endure intense challenges as they try to find themselves, in Trestin’s reflective but thoroughly mischievous play.

Direction by Eugene Lynch is commensurately vibrant, with an infectious spiritedness that keeps us invested in its wildly-imagined coming-of-age narrative. Cassidy McDermott-Smith’s choreography is an unequivocal delight, for a highly animated show that never shies away from physical comedy. Set design by Lochie Odgers is somewhat subdued, but costumes by Lily Mateljan and lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole ensure that imagery is consistently colourful and vivacious. Sound by Daniel Herten too is an uplifting feature, making believable all the outlandish expressions of youthful angst.

The piece is performed brilliantly by an immensely dedicated cast. Andrew Fraser brings extravagance, relentless but deliberate with the campness he introduces to Alexei, a queer high schooler on the cusp of puppy love. Bridget Haberecht delivers with considerable power, speeches that address directly the political concerns of a new generation, whilst delivering some truly delicious theatricality with her embrace of Taylor’s surreal world. Leon Walshe is very likeable as Thaddeus, a role he plays with admirable precision and persuasive focus. Dominic Lui is a charming scene stealer, incredibly funny with his idiosyncratic and perfectly timed manoeuvres, in a variety of roles that he makes hilarious in surprising ways.

It is easy to come to a conclusion that perhaps nothing is real, but in IRL we are once again reminded that for all the unpredictabilities, whims and fluctuations of existence, it is always connection that proves meaningful. We can spend all our lives in self-examination, but little compares to the instances of when people connect, when we discover in those moments of authentic resonance, that everything else falls readily into disintegration.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.theothertheatre.com.au

11Dec2024

Review: The Pigeons (KXT on Broadway)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Dec 7 – 21, 2024
Playwright: David Gieselmann
Director: Eugene Lynch
Cast: Tel Benjamin, Lib Campbell, Micaela Ellis, Kath Gordon, Jackson Hurwood, Kandice Joy, Mark Langham, Andrew Lindqvist, Dominic Lui
Images by Justin Cueno

Theatre review
Robert has had enough of the rat race and is calling it quits. Things in the office are always chaotic anyway, so his disappearance seems not to have changed the tone of daily life very much. Any interpretation of its narrative however, is probably not of much importance for David Gieselmann’s The Pigeons, in which form and style take precedence over actual content or story.

Direction by Eugene Lynch, along with choreography by Cassidy McDermott-Smith, introduce a great amount of frenzied energy to the piece, but never quite draws us into any real fascination with the artistic experimentations taking place on stage, only becoming increasingly alienating over the course. The cast can be credited for their undeniable investment into the experience, with players like Tel Benjamin, Lib Campbell and Kath Gordon leaving good impressions with their rendering of comedic moments when opportunities arise.

Costumes by Lily Mateljan may only mimic dreary aspects of humdrum normalcy, but a moment of extraordinary absurdity involving a necktie, certainly proves delightful. An adaptive set design by Lochie Odgers too delivers an element of surprise in later portions of the show. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole are well considered, but available equipment proves restrictive in the implementation of the designer’s more creative ideas. Music and sounds by Christine Pan, often delightfully performed live, are effective in reminding our sensibilities to venture somewhere surreal.

Pigeons have a homing instinct that means they always come back. Our human nature can be thought of as something that always wishes to return to square one, but evidence suggests that we are capable of breaking out and moving forward. Art especially should have the capacity to resist repetition, and our artists can be relied on, to introduce new ways of thinking and being, even if the ways they choose to challenge us, can be difficult.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.theothertheatre.com.au

28Mar2019

Review: The Dog, The Night And The Knife (The Other Theatre)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Playwright: Marius von Mayenburg (translated by Maja Zade)
Director: Eugene Lynch
Cast: Thomas G Burt, Tom Crotty, Samantha Lambert
Images by Shayan Askari

Theatre review
It is always 5:05 o’clock, in Marius von Mayenburg’s nightmarish The Dog, The Night And The Knife. A man is trapped inside a surreal landscape, encountering strange people who all seem to have nefarious intentions, it seems, of wanting to eat him up. The anxiety-riddled work takes us on a bizarre trip, into a space that feels like the semiconscious, where reality exists only in states of compromise. Paranoia is about things that hide beneath the surface, and in von Mayenburg’s play, things are certainly never quite what they seem.

Actor Tom Crotty demonstrates good focus as the protagonist, full of mental concentration, but lacking in physical agility. The production is staid, probably overly serious in its interpretation of von Mayenburg’s writing. Director Eugene Lynch is able to create a sense of macabre for the piece, but the show proves less funny than it could be.

In a variety of roles are Thomas G Burt and Samantha Lambert, both performers introducing an enjoyable theatricality with the ghostly quality they bring to their characters. Burt is particularly delightful with the dynamism he is able to bring to the stage. Also noteworthy is music composer Kailesh Reitmans, who delivers clever atmospheric enhancements for the production, especially effective with the suspense he is able to convey.

There is no denying that art can help deal with psychological and emotional baggage of which no one is excepted. At the theatre, whether we come in contact with cannibals or with the average Joe, there is always opportunity to know ourselves better, and in that process, find a more expansive view of existence that will keep our disquiet in check. In The Dog, The Night And The Knife, von Mayenburg comes to terms with the idea that people are not always kind to one another. It might be a pessimistic realisation, but an acceptance of reality is always a necessary start, before attaining greater epiphanies.

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