Left me engrossed one minute and slightly bemused or lost in another
The spoken word sections are easily the strength of this piece. They are the sections which most concisely and deeply deal with the issues at hand in a very striking manner. The interspersed songs are also beautiful in a melancholy way, reflecting the emptiness of so many online conversations. In the more physical and dance based sections however, it comes across as if the issues are not being handled with the same depth. This lends the show a rather uneven feeling that left me engrossed one minute and slightly bemused or lost in another.
The main problem with this show is that it feels like vignettes from a selection of different shows. This is of course an absolutely fine way to go about making theatre, but I’m not entirely sure that this was what the company was aiming for. There are definitely sections of that deal with the relationship between social media and feminism, but for the most part it feels very much like we’re dealing with one or the other. The scene where the girls on stage are being compared to cakes is one such example. I can see the critique of the beauty industry and the image of women as homemakers, but fail to see where the link to social media comes in or where it really fits in the overall theme of the piece.
With some refinement of the narrative structure and overall direction the play is headed in there is definitely a lot of real potential for this work to become a beautiful and biting piece of social commentary, but at this time it falls slightly short of that mark. I look forward to seeing more from this company.
