A Magical Guide to Fighting Fascism is a two act play about three women from three different time periods who are all connected based on intriguing historical events. It is written, composed, directed, and produced by Asha Cornelia Cluer, marking her Western Australian debut as a writer and director.
The play opens with a beautiful song sung by Chloë Jean Vincent, who enchants us with her mystical voice, drawing the audience into the performance. From the beginning, the show offers plenty of clever stage effects, leaving the audience to ask, “How did they do that?” As the play took off, something that caught my eye was the use of a screen in the background, using surtitles to translate foreign dialogue to us as well as marking new locations the story takes place in. The play is told using three languages, the majority in English, but it also uses Hebrew and Spanish to tell the stories of the characters. Federica Longo Huntington and Adriano Cappelletta stole the show, bringing lots of laughter from the audience. They play the part of the ensemble, proving to be very versatile as they played multiple roles (and with multiple accents), while the three women from different time periods were played by three different remarkable actresses. Melissa Westlake plays Cote in both flashbacks and her present day – she is able to change her stage age with the use of her expressions and movement, proving to be a powerful actress. Jo Morris plays Mayim, a busy and powerful woman, she encapsulates this character with wonderful integrity. Macy Curtis plays the teenage Javiera. For those who have grown up in Australia, the character is incredibly relatable and she reminds us of our youth, wanting to know more about who we are at the core.
Throughout the show, there is live music performed by Keshet, who is on stage with his guitar during the performance to help tell the story with music. The soft music adds to the magical feeling of the stage along with simple yet effective lighting, such as candles, fairy lights strung in a tree, and spotlights, which were designed by Adelaide Harney. Sound effects, designed by David Stewart, throughout the performance were not overused but perfectly timed when needed. The costumes, designed by Jamie Jewell, were simple yet one-of-a-kind, including a selkie, which is a wonderful show of his creativity.
Although the show was only performed for one night only on June 13th, I sincerely hope there will be a chance in the future for others to watch this beautiful production.
To book tickets to A Magical Guide to Fighting Fascism, please visit https://www.ashacorneliacluer.com/magical-guide.
