Two Twenty Somethings Decide Never to be Stressed About Anything Ever Again. Ever. By Michael Costi. Directed by Luke Rogers. The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre. December 9-14.
MAYBE this 2019 piece has dated rapidly following Covid.
Maybe the two twenty somethings in this play are simply too wet behind the ears.
Either way, despite some elegance in the set and some energy in the playing and some good moments, this piece never quite adds up to a compelling show.
Boyfriend (Elliot Cleaves) and Girlfriend (Martha Russell) are living together with occasional interruptions from New Best Friend (Blue Hyslop). She has some sort of an online wellness business involving meditative sounds and he has been reduced to a job in a chicken fast food shop. They are not terribly grown up and their attitudes soon annoy.
The couple might be self-absorbed but they are adult compared to the vaguely hippie best friend, who drifts in and out for no apparent reason.
The performances are positive and the Boyfriend’s chicken suit quite wonderful but the script seems to go nowhere. It is hard to care about the situation or the characters.
The delicate set by Aislinn King supported by Anthony Hateley’s lighting seems at odds with the surreal and grotty lives of the three. Is this a ‘Waiting for Godot ‘ in the making? Would it work better if the stage was bare?
There’s an exasperating sense that everyone is going nowhere fast.
Good to see CYT shows using the Courtyard Studio but they’ve done more exuberantly questioning shows this year.
