Much Stuff | The Blue Room | Until 28th October | ★ ★ ★ ★
When you first enter the auditorium for this new production at The Blue Room you’re struck by what an incredibly impressive set it has. I was instantly reminded of Bjork once singing about living at the top of a mountain and spending her mornings throwing off cutlery and random car parts.
It’s the summit of a hilltop cliff, scattered down the sides are various objects, but throughout the show it constantly transforms into different things. A bathroom, a couch, parts pull out and swing around, a section detaches -it’s a phone! And while the set is quite marvelous, and just a little bit bonkers – it’s perfect for this roller-coaster tale of finding out who you are, and who you are to other people.
Here we meet Black and Charlie, two angst-filled neurodivergent queer women in their twenties. They take to the stage in a whirlwind of spoken word, and comical recounts of how they met and dramatic retellings of the challenges they’ve faced in life.
Constantly breaking the fourth wall, the script is too clever by half. Listen closely, the word play is brilliant, intelligence and hilarious. It screams along at breakneck pace.
Morgan Dukes, who plays Charlie, is a WAAPA graduate and a captivating performer. The casting of fellow WAPPA alumni Gabrielle Wilson is perfection as the two bounce-off each other and ratchet up the excitement in the room.
The show comes with a long list of trigger warnings, warning audiences of nudity, simulated sex, mentions of sexual assault, drug use, alcohol, and themes of mental health and mentions of suicide – but all of the topics are handled effectively.
Lily Boss-Bailey’s work was first staged at the King’s Cross Theatre and has now been redeveloped for Perth audiences. Director Eliza Smith has done a fine job in tackling a complex and fun piece of work that has many fast-moving elements. The small mountain in the middle of the room was created by set designer William Gammel.
It’s a short and sharp work that runs for just an hour, and it’s a rollercoaster ride of a journey that tackles serious topics while never taking itself too seriously.
Graeme Watson.
Declaration: OUTinPerth co-editor Graeme Watson is an employee of Edith Cowan University which includes the WA Academy of Performing Arts.
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