Reviewed by Regina Su
From
the 14th of August until the 15th 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
