My
Private Parts
Written by Deborah Thomson and Performed by Deborah
Thomson and Lucy Miller
Where: The Seymour Centre, Chippendale
When: 31st October – 17th November
Tickets: $32 Adult, $27 Concession
Reviewed
by Lana Hilton
You
know you are in for an unusual treat when you hear over the PA system “This
evening’s performance of My Private Parts will commence in 15 minutes”. Even
before you have sat down you are already enjoying the performance.
Deborah
Thomson tells of her incredibly bumpy journey riding the IVF fertility
treatment train. This true story is written, performed, narrated and sung by
Deborah herself in what is an incredibly hilarious, heartbreaking and
entertaining expedition to get a bun in her oven. She is joined by Lucy Miller
who is equally extravagant and both ladies have a chemistry meant for raucous
amusement.
The
oven in question is a microwave oven and it is one of the major props used in
the performance. It has been strategically placed and built into the feature
wall which is a nude picture of a glamorous lady posing provocatively, and the
microwave is her crutch. This one is definitely not for the kids!
As
Deborah is poked, prodded, given drugs, stuck with needles and told when to
have and not have sex, we are introduced to the less romantic option of
conceiving a child – IVF. My Private Parts satires the ‘unnatural’ baby-making
process using original songs sung to a live band and numerous props which make you
laugh and blush! Whipped cream, vacuum cleaners, real eggs and jelly babies are
used in ways I will never forget; even the microwave oven gets a workout!
There
are sex scenes and very dirty adult language to uplift the underlying
heartbreaking voyage couples go through. Deborah has lived through it all and
her memories of robotic doctors, nosey nurses, early morning injections,
depressing phone calls and failing procedures are brutally brought to the
surface and performed with bravery and commitment. You learn a lot about IVF
and although it is in a light-hearted manner; the rejection and failure that
couples are faced with is always simmering below the surface.
This
uproarious production is a must-see piece within the 2012 Reginald Season and
you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you pass it by.
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