Dis-Connected review

In Dis-Connected, physical performer Hyperion Nyx explores the difficulties of being true to yourself when you are constantly faced with barriers preventing you from being able to be free with who you really are. 

The sound design is highly evocative in this production highlighting both the loneliness and isolation that Hyperion Nyx feels along with the confusion and conflicting thoughts they are experiencing. The sound remains a constant strength in a show that otherwise uses too many devices to tell this story that unfortunately never seem to support each other. The projections on the back curtain are too dark to clearly see and are only briefly used at the beginning of the show with no clear purpose. Halfway through the piece, we hear a pre-recorded voice that comes across as too detached and emotionless that is contrast to the thoughts that being share with the audience.

The stage is covered in white tulle and red string but apart from one scene where the string is used to signify blood, its purpose remains unclear and its use seems to be more decorative than meaningful. As the piece progresses, white masking tape is used to make the space on the stage smaller and smaller and so creating a visual of the prison that Hyperion Nyx is building around their self. Given the small performance space of the venue, their movements are never as big and freeing as they should be to then be able to notice the impact this prison has had on them with not being able to move much at all.

At the end of the performance, we are told that the creation of this piece came from their own experience growing up in a religious cult yet none of this is clear to us. Providing some context in the show itself or alluding to these moments of their life would have allowed the audience to understand more where these ideas were stemming from and why they were being presented in such a way.

Dis-Connected aims to explore homosexuality, queerness and self-expression through a variety of visual and aural approaches. Sadly, the show ends up trying to cover these themes in too many ways that leaves it without a strong grounding in how to share this story and ironically, struggles to connect with its audience.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: until 19 January| Thursday and Saturday 8.30pm
Length: 45 minutes
Tickets: $34 Full | $30 Conc 
Bookings: The Butterfly Club