Belvoir was buzzing with an eclectic mix of people heading towards two different shows. It was difficult to discern who was headed where, but it was a delightful mix from varied walks of life, all excited for a night of theatre.
Afterglow was in the downstairs theatre, one I hadn't yet visited, and I was immediately put at ease by the intimacy of the space. I love intimate theatre.
I had seen two songs from this show at Homo Grown, and I am also a massive fan of Cassie Hamilton. I had been wilfully declining theatre trips due to my own rehearsals making this an incredibly busy time for me, but I was already getting FOMO seeing it advertised when the review request came in, and my arm was officially twisted. Let's just say, thank God for that.
The space is black box style and the set is a lounge bar we come to know as Afterglow. This theatre is warm and welcoming, but it has some limitations. As a singer, I was initially concerned for the performers singing without microphones, but they were so exceptional at their craft that you quickly forgot it. I imagine they are being given some great coaching to help with this challenge. However, there is a unique privilege in seeing a show like this in such an intimate setting while knowing, without doubt, that future runs will be on a much bigger scale.
Afterglow is a world premiere by Purple Tape Productions, presented as part of Griffin Theatre Company's Lookout program. Written by playwrights Sheanna Parker Russon and Dr Lillian M. Hearne, and co-directed by Cassie Hamilton and Lily Hayman, it is a barbershop rom-com following Michael through a coming-of-age, and the unlikely community of people that play a part in it.
We begin with the barbershop quartet singing about manliness and the importance of keeping barbershop purely for the boys. We note Michael, played by Cassie, is uncomfortable, making small mistakes then berating himself through a song about the desire to be normal. It's 2012, he's 21, and this is his only aspiration.
Nat Jobe leads the quartet as the old-skool male who is a feminist purely by virtue of having married a woman, yet believes fiercely in upholding traditional male spaces. The character becomes the vehicle for exploring what it means to be a man and the awkwardness of trying to connect when social norms keep restricting you. Jobe plays it with tremendous warmth and comic precision.
There is beautiful a-cappella accompaniment scattered throughout in the barbershop style, with Dr Hearne playing Trevor and taking to the keys at poignant moments. The harmonies are infectious.
Nic Prior's character T gets a stunning solo that takes us into the depths of an interior world that is tender and enormous. The voice is breathtaking; there is a fragility to the emotional delivery that sits in complete contrast to its power. When Michael and T reconnect two years later, the connection deepens, and Cassie delights with a goofy, gorgeous spiral as Michael tries to navigate T's vulnerability while still performing what it means to be "one of the boys."
The lighting design by Tyler Fitzpatrick feels deceptively simple, but the choices are anything but. Moving from the full wash which made us all visible to one another (leaning into the metaphor of trying to blend in), to a single spotlight when characters turned inward was quietly brilliant. Clare Hennessey's sound design holds the space with equal care.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Cassie Hamilton is a powerhouse, and her character’s big solo moment is elevated by the voice belting behind it, leaving me teary. The first of many times.
By 2016 things have gotten messy, and the boys are doing their best to show up for their friend while not quite knowing how to communicate outside of messy metaphors. The important thing is that they are trying, and learning that vulnerability might actually make them better.
Lincoln Elliott as Matt is great fun, and I genuinely do not know how Elliott manages to be in so many wonderful things at once. The whole ensemble moves together with a generosity that speaks to the room Cassie Hamilton and Lily Hayman have created.
Afterglow is a bittersweet, joyful, poignant romp; full of heartache and, most importantly, trans joy. Sheanna and Lillian's joint journey and shared heart make this a uniquely beautiful story.
I was in tears at the end. Tears of sadness, hope, joy, and just the deep appreciation of a wonderful shared experience.
Go share in it. You will sit in the afterglow for days.
To book tickets to Afterglow, please visit https://griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/afterglow/.
Photographer: Lucy Parakhina
