Nihilistic Optimism on Trampolines review | Theatre Works

It was on a dreary November night that we took our seats for Nihilistic Optimism on Trampolines, a loose reimagining of the origin of Frankenstein. Rather than setting it during the year without a summer in Switzerland, when Mary Shelley conceived her famous tale, this production places us in a contemporary trampoline play centre, Trampoline World. Here, the employees are each tasked by their supervisor with writing a ghost story.

The characters are named after people who spent time with Mary at the villa, so we have our Byron and Percy and Claire and John all present. Gabrielle Ward is committed as the protagonist, displaying her gradual obsession with completing the story and uncovering the more unsettling impulses behind creation. Eleanor Golding also leaves a mark as Byron, a senior supervisor at Trampoline World. He isn’t particularly integral or complex, but Golding brings an authenticity to him that elevates his scenes and makes him interesting to watch.

To Be Frank review (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

I was so incredibly tired heading into To Be Frank I thought I would actually fall asleep while it was being performed. But within the first second I realised that would not be possible once Michael Hockey's creature came barrelling out on stage with an impassioned roar.



For the next hour we join "Frank" as he begins to understand the concept of love, loneliness and belonging with the aid of a humble balloon. The show is heavily improvised but there is a story and Hockey presents a wonderful balance of both, at one point he leaves the room to follow an audience member who has had to leave early but it fits perfectly with this journey to find love. His clown and bouffon skills are put to excellent use as Frank non-verbally engages and interacts with the audience, who become just as invested in this odyssey as he is.