Before Dirty Words begins, performers Jonathan Carter and Alana Dare sweetly croon to the audience on the perils of drugs. This sets the scene nicely for Monash University Student Theatre's rock cabaret show that tackles some of the big issues that society has still failed to address.
Austen (Austen Keating) is holding a vegan dinner party for a group of friends, and as his guests arrive - some invited, some uninvited, some vegan, some not - issues relating to racism, sexuality and the environment are raised and re-enacted. Tara Dowler's direction during these scenes is highly engaging, most notably when Jonathan recalls his life as a waiter at a restaurant and Dowler incorporates the entire cast into the scene.
This is successfully repeated during one of the songs on marine
protection, which includes some emotive adagio choreographed by Georgia Bell and performed beautifully by Sarah Maher and Carter.
Unfortunately Dowler
does not retain this energetic style throughout the show, as other flashback or stories are told without the same visual flair. When child care worker Cat (Catriona Cowie) informs us of her conversation with a pregnant parent regarding the sexuality of her future child, Dowler has her emphatically jumping around the empty stage, which feels like it is being done more for laughs rather than to express the character's thoughts.
Sex, suicide, masturbation, rape and depression. These are a few of the themes that German playwright Frank Wedekind explored in his 1891 play Spring Awakening. While controversial at its time, it was an opportunity for teenagers to see themselves as people who have big ideas, difficult choices to make, and an awareness of sex and sexuality. Fast forward 126 years and Daniel Lammin's adaptation, Awakening - in collaboration with students from Monash Uni Student Theatre - is just as powerful, important and necessary as the original in giving people a true insight as to what teenagers must contend with in today's society.
Lammin has put together an extremely talented cast who excel in the challenging roles they share. Nicola Dupree, Samantha Hafey-Bagg, Eamonn Johnson, James Malcher, Sam Porter and Imogen Walsh all have great chemistry on stage and a clear understanding and appreciation of who their characters are, leading to some incredibly intuitive performances. Of particular note are Walsh, Dupree and Malcher, who take on each role with outstanding commitment and emotional intensity.
Barking Spider Visual Theatre has consistently created shows and performances that have a lingering effect on their audiences. Collaborating with MUST (Monash Uni Student Theatre), their newest production Psychopomp & Seething delivers on this reputation yet again. In two short pieces, they transport the audience to two very different dream-like worlds that are paradoxically calming yet unsettling.
The audience seating area has been specifically designed for this show and only seats twenty people in its very intimate structure. As we take our seats, the doors close in on the stage, boxing us in, and we begin to move. Yes, the seating bank moves. With nothing but a blue spotlight sporadically shining above us, I get images of the boat ride in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the hurricane from The Wizard of Oz, which is fitting as this is the type of intriguing experience I’ve come to expect from Barking Spider.
