If you are only able to see one of Fringe World 2015’s 500 events, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights and Baste The Bagel’s The Defence makes a helluva case.
The story revolves around renowned playwright August Strindberg. Strindberg longs for power, convinced abusing his hysterical wife is key. Suddenly, the lights kick up and a commanding force comes out from the crowd - we realise, as he asserts his directorial prowess regarding Strindberg’s The Defence of A Fool, we have been hurled into a behind-the-scenes, Birdman-esque dissection of the Australian theatre industry.
Our three lead characters, switching genders and ideologies unexpectedly, soon fall into an explosive tug-of-war over authoritative vision, identity crises, and the rawness of live performance. Its actors – Catherine McNamara, Brett Johnson, and Douglas Niebling – throw everything at their bare-all roles. The production’s out-there twists and turns add to this play-within-a-play’s darkly satirical bite. This, unquestionably, is one of Fringe’s biggest surprises and an unforgettable theatrical vision.
The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre (finished)
