This Is The Dust We're In review (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Goodness, This Is The Dust We're In is an absolutely delightful show. Hot Lunch research and investigate existing stories and narratives, and in this production, they have turned their heads to Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, referred to as "the most famous Australian play ever written", with its exploration of growing up, gender norms, masculinity and idealisation vs. reality. It’s a lot to unpack in an hour, but Hot Lunch make use of every second to cover this and then some.

Written, developed and performed by Delta Brooks, Rebekah Carton, Thomas Richards and Henry Kelly, the quartet present their analysis in three parts: Nostalgia, Growing Up and Dreams vs Reality. Themes, characters and passages are utilised from the text liberally and loosely that allows Hot Lunch to place their own interpretation of how we can come to understand such an influential text.

To warm us up, before the show we are free to peruse the various Australian memorabilia that are exhibited in the foyer, as if we are in an art gallery. Items like a signed photo of Eddie McGuire, Shannon Noll's album and Australian tea towels are hung on walls or rest on plinths with descriptions about these items. Iconic Aussie music plays in the foyer and the theatre space and before we have taken our seats, we are comfortably in the Australian culture mind frame.

For those unfamiliar with the text, the four give us a rapid rundown of who's who with (frighteningly accurate) well-known Australian celebrities appearing on screen as a visual representation. From there, we witness musical numbers, personal stories and absurd sketches. Sometimes everything unfolds all at once, and while it can be a little overwhelming trying to pick what you put your focus on, whichever choice you make is going to be wholly entertaining.

Brooks' audition as Roo is undoubtedly the highlight of This Is The Dust We're In and a great indication of the commitment that all the performers give in their constant switching between scenes and moods and tone. Through the humour and the laughs, they also display their vulnerability as they discuss what the themes of the play mean to them and how a play written in 1955 can be relatable 70 years later. There are compelling visual moments including one where Richards stands with his back to the audience in a singlet and begins to chop firewood – a strong indicator of masculinity - and the final act that leaves the entire audience holding their breath as we watch what unfolds.

Hot Lunch may have only made a handful of works together but they are quickly carving out a niche for themselves in the Melbourne theatre scene. Regardless how well you know Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (if at all), This Is The Dust We're In is an intelligent and wildly energetic production that honours the past while looking to the now and the future.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Meat Market, 2 Wreckyn St, North Melbourne
Season: until 13 October | Wed - Sat 7pm Sun 4pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $30 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image Credit: Matto Lucas