Untitled No. 7 - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

We all want to succeed in life. We all have goals and desires we would like to achieve and to be recognised as successful by our friends, family and society. But how do we measure this? By the size of our property? By how many letters come after our name or perhaps the number of children we have? In Untitled No. 7, Telia Nevile explores the mentality we have on success and our fear of failure.

The show is set up as part fairytale, part poetry and part something unexpected. We are introduced to our heroine Darling, who is searching for a golden key that will open the door of possibilities and opportunities for her. While this is a story we've all heard before, Nevile's masterful use of language and words throughout, lift this story to become something fresh and exciting. It's also great to see how much she has developed as a writer and performer since her 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival award for Best Emerging Writer.
 
As the story progresses and you feel like you know exactly where it’s going, Nevile (with some help from Bruce Samazan) flips it on its head and turns this fairytale into an extremely personal story that instantly strikes a chord with everyone in the room. It is a powerful moment for all present.

Musical numbers such as "Disney Taught Me to Want What Won’t Come True and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” showcase Untitled No. 7’s left-of-centre approach and shows the influence writer/performer Ash Flanders has had on this production in his role as dramaturg. “My Penis Is a Lighthouse” is also a wonderful song and encapsulates so much of what the fringe in Melbourne Fringe Festival means, with Nevile displaying some brilliant physical movements to her interpretative dance.

The ideas of potential versus possibility is a running theme to Untitled No. 7 but is there a happy ending in this fairytale? It's hard to say, but it's an honest ending that allows this story to leave an impact on its audience and have them questioning what it is they value in life and what it is they want from it.  

Click here to read my interview with Telia Nevile.

Show Information 

Venue: Arts House, 521 Queensberry St., North Melbourne 
Season:  until 21 September | Tues - Sat 8:00pm, Sun 7:00pm (Wednesday 19th September performance will be Auslan interpreted) 

Length: 45 minutes 
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc and Cheap Tuesday 
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival