Every Brilliant Thing – Impact on a Life

Sometimes, you see a piece of theatre that resonates with you and helps you to see that being part of the action of the piece is not audience participation but letting yourself lean into the story. Every Brilliant Thing is such a night at the theatre. Geelong Contemporary Theatre’s director, Nicholas Brooke, whom I met after the show, spoke about the one-person, one-act work as being funny, sad, and yet relatable.

The Potato Shed is a great space for a small show, and the basic minimalist set, in full light with a seating plan that ensured people did not head for the back seats but surrounded the narrator’s workspace, set the atmosphere for the show. All audience members were handed cards or scraps of paper with words or phrases or entire sentences and a number, given to us by the narrator Rachelle Lachland Goulter as we were seated.

At first, the audience seemed amused by the task, but we soon learned that they were pivotal to the show’s flow. Rachelle would refer to a number in her monologue, and the audience member was required to read it out in the context of the action of the show. In the event that the number had not been allocated, the Stage Manager was quick to provide the relevant wording.

Without giving too much of the plot or action away, the narrator took us through a number of stages in her life. She recounted joys and laughter at some parts of the play and skillfully brought us all to tears in other moments. The underlying theme of mental health and its impact on a life is central to the piece. The effect of books and music on the lives of the family also had their part to add to the narrative.

Every Brillant Thing is a moving and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Rachelle Lachland Goulter’s performance was crafted with a script that allows for improvisation and interaction with the audience that is both gentle and clever. In her performance, Rachelle runs the gamut of emotions that is genuine and heartwarming. If you go and see Every Brilliant Thing, you may just want to start your own list.

Every Brilliant Thing has only one show remaining on 23rd September 2023, at 1 p.m., so book in whilst you still can.

This review also appears at It’s On the House.

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Slutnik 2: Planet of the Incels

Flick’s “SLUTNIK 2: Planet of the Incels” was a dazzling space age adventure. 

It is the extravagant and anticipated continuation of the SLUTNIK™ franchise, following the success of its fabulous predecessor, SLUTNIK™ 1. The enthusiastic opening night audience for SLUTNIK™ 2, comprised of numerous fans of the first installment, is a testament to its popularity and widespread appeal.

For those unfamiliar with the backstory, SLUTNIK™ 1 chronicles the journey of a renowned group of lesbian space cannibals, accompanied by their trusty robot MOTHERBOARD, who departed Earth a century ago in search of liberation from patriarchal oppression.

The plot centres on Andromeda (Sara Reed) and MOTHERBOARD (Matilda Gibbs), rediscovering and reliving the secreted data of when the “sluts” had been compelled to make an emergency landing of their malfunctioning spacecraft on an unfamiliar planet. To their dismay, they discover the very thing they sought to escape from.

However, these men are not ordinary men, but rather, they are Incels who have been incarcerated within a dome by supposedly wicked lesbians. In addition to their desire for compliant women, these Incels also seek to escape, and believe in exploiting the visitors to achieve their sinister goals.

Matilda Gibbs is an exceptional MOTHERBOARD, and such a highlight of the show. Sara Reed portrays the conflicted Andromeda. She is truly enjoyable in her portrayal of an earnest explorer, being confronted with an entirely new experience – the Incel Men. The men, namely Ben Ashby, Ethan Morse, Michael Cooper, William Strom, and Benji Smith, are all recognizable as man-boy types and together, create a comical and perplexing chorus.

The Incels are easily ridiculed, yet they manage to captivate audiences with their provocative dance numbers, choreographed by Mia Tuco. Their interactions, and manipulations form the crux of the show, providing a platform to explore themes such as power, masculinity, and autonomy. 

The Incels’ dialogue is also used in matrix-style set dressing, which creates interesting contrast with the flamboyant flourishes of MOTHERBOARD’s retelling. Read: in real life, toxic masculinity forces men such as these characters to present themselves in bland uniformity, but Costume Designer Emily Busch has made them into glittering cowboys.

The language they use was apparently taken verbatim from Incel websites, documentaries, etc. Jon, played by Benji Smith, is a sinister, charismatic leader of the Incels, exuding an air of authority and menace. “Nice guy” Elliot, portrayed by Ben Ashby, attempts to win over Andromeda with his charm. The other three men, played by Michael Cooper, William Strom and Ethan Morse, while initially rude and boorish, ultimately prove to be more redeemable, revealing deeper layers of humanity, despite being so unsympathetic.

Juxtaposed to the incels, Motherboard and Andromeda’s exchanges are a fascinating exploration of what it means to retell truthful and challenging stories – especially the burden of lived experience and trauma. 

I applaud Flick and the whole production for their camp, sci-fi, musical spectacular. The story was a stunning and tactful interrogation of the dumpster-fire world we navigate today. Contemplating the end of the show, I walked away fired up by the pathos and soothed by the glamourous flourishes in sound and design.

I look forward to seeing SLUTNIK 3!”, but in the meantime, be sure to see this show before it closes on 16th September at Theatre Works.

This review also appears at It’s On the House.

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The Hen House – A Storytelling Comedic Rock Concert

When there is an interesting story to be told, why deliver it only in words when you can rock sing it out? The Hen House, directed by Sydney Theatre Award- winner Anthea Williams and presented by PYT Fairfield and Wild Company, had their world premiere performance on Thursday, 7 September 2023, at the Riverside Theatre. This is a story of friendship between migrant women working in a chicken processing factory. It is not presented as a traditional stage play or a theatre musical but more as a storytelling comedic rock concert – and it works!

Four musicians kept the audience company as we were seated, and the upcoming play’s era is clearly communicated through their music. 1970s music has a distinct funky sound and was created by a lead guitar (Gwyneth Jansen), an electric base (Sarah Homeh), a keyboard (Sil Jin) and drums (Hayley Chan) that made my feet tap! Along with the smoky atmosphere and the audience preshow chatter, you could think you’re in a club!

However, when we are introduced to the characters Mila and Pavica, recent migrants from a village in Croatia, all thoughts of a nightclub are gone, and we are immediately placed in the moments travelling alongside these women for the rest of the play. The story they tell paints a picture of two very different women facing the same terrible conditions at the chicken processing factory and how they deal with issues in their own way. They simply draw strength from different places.

Mila (co-creator Mara Knezevic) is a feisty firecracker of a woman who hates her job. In stark contrast, her friend Pavica (co-creator Josipa Draisma) adores her job at the factory as a forewoman, proud to be a working Mum, and both are endearing in their own way.

Being a two-woman play (with some interaction with the musicians onstage behind them), the actresses portray their characters with comedic flair, changing their body language and accents to share other character’s dialogues. Their mannerism, facial expression and Aussie accent captured their sexist and arrogant manager well, whom they refer to as “Mr Getty Boss Man” – the quick change into this character had the audience in laughter, as did the portrayal of fellow factory worker Joy, who used to work in a jam factory and liked to let people know.

The Hen House was performed on a small stage, with no costume changes and very few props, but the audience were able to use their imaginations as Mila and Pavica told their story through powerful songs and physical comedy.

Sime Knezevic co-wrote The Hen House alongside his sisters Josipa Draisma and Mara Knezevic, and was almost three years in the making. The songs were composed by musical director Zeljko Papic and were full of life and fun.

The Hen House is a powerful story, a retelling of the way how women were unfairly treated in the workplace and a time capsule showing Australia’s social and economic history during the 1970’s. It is an ode to migrant women and their working contribution to Australia, giving them a sense of self-respect and pride. It runs for 90 minutes with no interval.

World Premiere – Riverside Theatre 7-9 September 2023

Camden Civic Centre 13-14 September 2023

Orange Civic Centre – 16 September 2023

The Art House Wyong – 20 September 2023

The Concourse Pavilion Chatswood – 22 September 2023

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

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Grave Issues – An Examination of a Life’s Worth

In 24 Carrot Productions’ outstanding and profound “Grave Issues,” we are immersed in deep examination of a life’s worth. 

The audience enters the Bluestone Church Arts Space in Footscray to find themselves at a funeral for an unnamed woman. Upon sitting, we learn that a “procedure” will be performed, where an empirical determination of a person’s inner workings will be revealed. 

The play opened on “Senior” and “Junior” (Kate Ball and Karli Riesen, respectively) performing a sort of autopsy of personal qualities in front of an audience of funerary mourners. The findings were such that “Colleague,” “Friend,” and “Lover” were driven to challenge the method by adding their own experience. 

This cleverly-paced performance combines big emotion with perspective and tact. Sharmini Kumar’s darkly humorous writing was like a welcoming lighthouse in a sea of shallow themes. 

Karli Riesen was captivating in her portrayal of a high-achieving student up to her neck in the challenges of death, life and worthiness. The co-worker chemistry between Karli and Kate Ball was both hilarious and very tender, and I couldn’t look away. In Kate’s performance, I saw a wise and discerning professional with care equal to her ambition, and writing this now, I suspect this is also a close reflection of her work as an actor. 

Ocean Trimboli’s “Colleague” was intense and nuanced. She found amazing balance in her character’s pendulous emotions, the like of which are only too relevant to any discussion of death. 

In “Friend,” I saw Bianca Conry deliver an exquisitely flawed human with impeccable comic timing. Even the rhythm of her shoes on the stage’s steps served to build the play’s entrancing reality. 

As “Lover,” Sasha Leong was poignant and serene. I found myself simultaneously moved to tears by her performance while also calmed by her voice and dignified stillness. 

Front-of-house people were wearing a floral emblem which also adorned notebooks, water bottles, and other props. It had a wonderful unity. 

The main performance area contained a coffin, a stage and a small medical implement space at the rear, near a long, black, velvet curtain. The subtle lighting highlighted small moments of transition in the absurdist piece. 

The deliberate setup created an atmosphere of sterile efficiency while still being in the grip of a funeral. It was a clever way to contrast humans’ need for emotionless facts while still needing creations such as identity, both fleeting and timeless. 

Sharmini Kumar has written a witty, hilarious and profoundly moving examination of how we see and judge ourselves and how our loved ones challenge that. I urge everyone to see this play’s limited run.

Performances of Grave Issues are running until the 9th of September at the Bluestone Church Arts Space.

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