Vernon God Little

Reviewed by Regina Su

From the 14^th of August until the 15^th of September, the New Theatre presents Vernon God Little. Just a short stroll down Newtown’s Kings Street will take you to this independent theatre, a hidden gem.Vernon God Little is a satirical piece that handles powerful and moving themes surrounding the commercialisation of horror and corruption of media with aneclectic, yet comical sass. The play is presented with flawless scene changes and thoughtfully appropriate mis en scene. The cast of emerging actors radiate passion, they give their characters their all in many powerful individual performances. 

The play is fast-paced and helter skelter and uses a myriad of mediums from tap dancing to singing. The performance is possibly a slight challenge for the audience to keep up with, which in turn undermines moments of empathy. Perhaps the theatrical and textual integrity of the play was compromised by the juxtaposed disco-ordinate craziness. Often, the small intensified moments of humanity and vulnerability were all but swept under the carpet, losing the atmosphere so carefully woven earlier. That said, the play confronts very real issues regarding the sacrificing of innocent victims to fuel and commercialise tragedies in the media. There is an especially strong focus on the corruption and mass hysteria brought about within media, particularly the exploitative, self-aggrandising behaviours of aspiring reporters/journalists and the tendency of humans to betray one another to serve their own ends. This cynical view of the human condition is relevant in today’s world of mass shootings and the 24 hour news cycle. Warning to minors- there are frequent explicit sexual references.

Click here for further information: http://www.whatsonsydney.com/eventDetails.aspx/20137/vernon-god-little