SUMMER NIGHTS 2023 | Conception | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

In a world where even conception is controlled by the state, three people come together in an unexpected rebellion. Written and performed by Lainey O’Sullivan, Conception is a deep dive into autonomy, relationships, control, and the separation of sex and intimacy, with climate change subtly underpinning the whole piece. Opening with a stunning sequence where O’Sullivan and Shaun Johnston simulate a shower that gets very hot and steamy, the two then discuss baby names as they then go about their day. There are a few hints that all is not what it seems, from the water being shut off because it’s rationed to the fact that Anna drinks wine while seemingly pregnant. All becomes clear when Ruth (Asha Cornelia Cluer) arrives – she is the surrogate (well things are slightly more complicated than that) and appears to have suffered a miscarriage. What follows is a gritty descent into pushing moralistic boundaries, sexual autonomy, and relationships.

Dynamically directed by Samuel Bruce, movement and stage directions breathe life into the script – breaking up the tension of heavy dialogue with witty and clever sequences. The intensity of movement creates physical divides, as each character literally stands with who they back up. Anna sharply moves between Ruth and Chris, convincing them to pair up and conceive naturally. The act of intercourse cleverly mirrors the beginning when Anna and Chris were intimate, and as O’Sullivan puts on a stoic visage while preparing vegetables for a quiche, Cluer and Johnston initially awkward in their movements stick to the door frame. Vegetables are grated and eggs beaten as the intensity increases – Cluer and Johnston no longer confined to the shadows of a threshold but taking up the main space passion clearly increasing. Although initially her idea, O’Sullivan as Anna appears stricken when probing into Ruth’s experience with her husband. Feelings become heightened and the show twists and turns, churning up every emotional response.

Conception is a clever piece of theatre that puts characters in incredibly intense situations. It questions how far we would go to get what we want and even whether sexual intimacy and sexual intercourse can be separated. There are no real answers, the play is an examination of these dynamics with great imagery and just the right amount of dramatic tension. All three performers are utterly believable, creating a few moments where you might forget to breathe.

You can catch all the action at the The Blue Room Theatre until 11th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

SUMMER NIGHTS 2023 | 600 Seconds – AFTER HOURS | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

600 Seconds – AFTER HOURS is the final installment of Summer Nights program where each act has ten minutes each to perform an original work. The AFTER HOURS pieces all focus on things that come alive as the sun sets. There’s body horror, schlock, transformative and uncanny works, as well as hilarious political satire.

Imaginary Sounds devised and performed by David Mitchell and Portia McDonald is spoken word set to a blistering soundscape of pulsing beats and sounds just as convoluted as your brain. McDonald lays out a frenzied and anxious beat as Mitchell speaks in a loop his anxiety overtaking his entire physique. The two move in an almost zen like way to overcome their overwhelming fears. Mitchell repeats the opening words but this time he has achieved catharsis.

Nagini – The Serpent Legend by Danisa Snake is a striking piece of movement that speaks to primal feelings and colonising or taming the exotic other. The Nagini moves with impressive serpentine grace, writhing and slithering in an impressive display of liquid movement. This piece is aesthetically impressive as well as stunning in its wider message. Danisa Snake will have you convinced that they cannot be contained.

Uncanny (V)ally by Matt Aitken is so funny as it revisits 90s and early 2000s phenomena through the healing teachings of a guru. Combining contemporary meditation practices with the pop culture of millennials it’s a clever examination of the appropriation of both by generation Z. It’s ridiculously silly, I lost it when the Spice Girls ‘Too Much’ is revealed to be the soundtrack of the guru. Along with Windows 95 imagery, Lynx deodorant, and the ‘Ooga chucka’ Ally McBeal dancing baby this is the real 90s – it can only come from someone who has experienced it, not someone who streams Friends on Netflix and has a Central Perk T-shirt from Typo.

Step On All Men is Hot Blonde Slut at their finest. Beginning as a B-movie parody complete with creepy uncanny mask, the show descends into pornographic farce – reimagining the apocalypse movie as sexual fantasy. The Hot Blonde Slut is disar

You can catch all the late night action at The Blue Room until 11th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

SUMMER NIGHTS 2023 | Bright & Bold: Memoirs of a Desk Goblin | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Dureshawar Khan is a Desk Goblin. What is that, you ask? Allow her to tell you in Bright & Bold: Memoirs of a Desk Goblin. The show is a snapshot of Khan’s time working as a receptionist in a tattoo parlour – back when this baby was just finding her feet, still called Ray because that name was more palatable to Aussie tongues, and in the most vulnerable time – the cusp between teenager and young adult. Bright & Bold is more than a memoir – it is about finding your identity, navigating the world as an adult, and ultimately being comfortable in your own – tattooed – skin. Brilliantly interweaving a history of feminine tattooed bodies and focussing on some home-grown heroes who blazed a trail for Australian women tattoo artists with her own tattooing journey, Khan is a brilliant storyteller. Her lilt switches between informative and imaginative, lighting up when recalling the feelings generated upon various encounters with tattooing and tattoo paraphernalia.

This memoir is from a time in Khan’s life where she was a little lost, still studying and getting rejected for every job under the sun, and a chance encounter in a tattoo parlour led to a true feeling of belonging. Khan delights in describing her antics as a Desk Goblin – alright I’ll tell you what it is – someone who does all the miscellaneous tasks on top of admin at a tattoo parlour. Khan recalls joyfully tearing bits of paper towel in preparation, ordering ink, soothing people – oh and putting up with people’s high-maintenance demands! The wistful nostalgia breathed into this memoir piece and the reverence placed upon the tattooing world is palpable. Khan found who she was in these places and with these markings carving their way straight to her soul. Deeply rooted in memories of heritage, each tattoo but especially the ceremonial markings on her chin represent a different part of Khan. Her defiance in the face of conservatism and conformity are writ large on her beautifully drawn canvas of a body. This is a coming of age story that leaves more space to be drawn on – but doesn’t ‘ragrat’ the ink already spilled.

You can find out what it’s like being a Desk Goblin at The Blue Room Theatre until 11th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

SUMMER NIGHTS 2023 | Yee Howdy | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Clara Cupcakes is The Cowgirl in her hilarious solo show, Yee Howdy. No, not a cowgirl but The Cowgirl. The show sees the intrepid Clara as The Cowgirl, leave her many-horse town and go in search of Joe to fulfil a prophecy laid down in time – you see, The Cowgirl seeks the last cow on earth. This show is absolutely bonkers! It’s a madcap hour of hilarity, highjinx, and hootenany and you will not stop laughing the whole time. Playing The Cowgirl and multiple characters along the way, Clara Cupcakes is a masterful solo performer. She interacts with the audience in a way that is friendly and non-intimidating as you follow along her journey to find the last cow.

Parodying wild, wild West tropes but not the people, Clara doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s a natural comedian, clowning about while walking with a jaunty lilt, telling campfire stories punctuated by vulture cries, playing a showgirl who exposes a lot more than just her story – Clara embodies each character and gives them depth and nuance, rather than using them as just a plot device. There is a bit of audience interaction but I won’t give any of that away – suffice it to say, Clara makes you feel very welcome and is so professional that the bits are funny whether you give a lot or not. Yee Howdy is silly. It’s beyond funny, and I love that the plot isn’t predictable – and the ending has to be seen to be believed. The Cowgirl will have you rooting (tootin’) for her all the way.

You can catch the ballad of The Cowgirl at The Blue Room Theatre until 11th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

SUMMER NIGHTS 2023 | Bad Feminist | 4.5 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Audrey is moving in with her boyfriend, like awesome! But Audrey’s move isn’t all throw cushions and lava lamps – oh no. She gets a phone call with some really distressing news and something about her perfect boyfriend is revealed to her. Now Audrey must navigate all possible scenarios in choosing how to deal. Written by Abi Russell and Holland Brooks, Bad Feminist is Sailing With Styx Theatre‘s debut play and I have to say, if this is their beginning then we can expect great things from them. At first, the tone is bubblegum pop does theatre – I was instantly transported to my pre-Y2K bedroom with the language and inflection a heightened parody of Elle Woods and Cher and tbh I’m here for it. Rhiannon Bryan is perfect as Audrey – hilarious from the get-go, their inflection is maddeningly familiar especially among Milennials and Gen Z’s. When things begin to take a turn, Bryan skilfully changes their tone but not dramatically enough to jeopardise the serious scenes.

Bad Feminist is all about navigation. From navigating her new life moving in with a partner, to moving through every scenario under the sun, Audrey is a versatile figure that proves the old addage – you don’t know what you’re like until backed against a wall. Audrey is a complicated person. After being told that her boyfriend may have done something heinous (trigger warning sexual assault) by fab friend Elle (Harper Nguyen), the show takes a turn. Rather than follow a linear trajectory, Audrey plays out multiple scenarios reversing the outcome to return to that phone call until eventually she is almost broken by the possibilities. This is where the show gets super fun. I know, a show about confronting your boyfriend about sexual assault doesn’t seem like fodder for hilarity, but hear me out. Some of the scenarios are just amazing. From Nguyen as Elle being sassy and wanting Benji for herself to Benji being revealed to be in the mob, or having a twin brother! Harrison Lorenz-Daniel is a brilliant performer. He adds nuance to the character to the point that you can’t quite tell if this is a funny scenario or a menacing one. Nguyen, too slays when taking away a fake baby and when connecting with Audrey but there is nothing but gravity in her voice when the situations are sad ones.

As each scenario piles up, the audience gets more of the picture – the truth will always be obscured however, and we are ultimately left to make up our own minds. Flawlessly mirroring real life situations where all we have is a person’s word that this happened, Bad Feminist is like sitting on a jury. Understandably, Audrey fears being a bad feminist if she harbours a potential sex offender, but the situation is far more nuanced than that – where is the trust and loyalty from both sides? Bryan allows themselves to get more and more effected by each scenario – breaking down with despair as things become twisty, each of their decisions ramp up and become more extreme the longer they torture themselves with this. Bad Feminist is a hilariously sharp study in judgement. It will chew you up and spit you back out again as poor Audrey is forced to examine her feminism and identity in great detail until in the end, she doesn’t even know what to think. There are a few in-jokes and the actors, while all brilliant, tend to pander to an audience that knows them, but at the end of the day, this is a great debut from a company to look out for.

You can catch all the rom-com action at The Blue Room Theatre until 4th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.