Trades Hall is buzzing with the 2022 Melbourne Fringe Festival on a chilly Melbourne night. The halls are teeming with patrons and artists rushing around before their show. Excited chatter and music fill the historic building.
A glorious celebration of friendship, queerness and solidarity, SLUTNIK™ is the story of five women who have had enough of the patriarchy and want out – all the way off this planet. The action takes place inside a spaceship, where the women are preparing for take-off, guided by AI creation, Motherboard.
The five crew members are dressed in sporty blue crops top and shorts, with plenty of silver glitter. Motherboard appears as a highly decorated flight attendant in blue dress, silver gloves and striking silver boots. Their energy is contagious.
The stage design is minimal. It is really all about the heroes, the women. A display of silver records lines the back wall. The only set piece is a computer/dashboard sitting at the back of the stage. Lighting is simple, sound is loud. The dance numbers are banging with heavy bass and between dance routines, the soundscape pulses with electro and other-worldly sounds, courtesy of sound designer Danni A. Esposito.
Playwright Flick’s script is quick-witted and amusing. The women’s rage is encapsulated in the text and in vigorous choreography. Crafted with a contemporary audience in mind, it seems designed for short attention spans, like a sharply edited TV show or a sequence of TikToks. The themes are current: misogyny, politics, AI, bodily autonomy, and sex, and are all shot through with vivacious energy and humour.
The characters traverse topics of friendship, solidarity, queerness and trauma. The blooming romance between two of the characters is sweet and relatable. The performance of Motherboard is priceless, and as well as initiating many laughs, brings into to question the hopes and fears humans have about technology.
There are digs at male politicians who make decisions for women and their bodies. Some of the most cutting commentary is reserved for the contraceptive pill, which has a song dedicated to its detrimental effects on women’s bodies and minds.
A standout scene is a lesson from Motherboard during which the women simulate a straight woman faking an orgasm, capturing a sad reality for many women in an over-the-top hilarious way.
Read: Theatre review: Homeward Bound
Conflict arises in the differing of views as to whether its ethical to escape Earth while others are left behind. But you can’t save everyone. In the end, after democratic negotiation and comradery, SLUTNIK prepares for take-off, and the show ends with the obligatory theatrical extravagance of a thumping dance number.
SLUTNIK™
Solidarity Hall, Trades Hall
Writer: Flick
Director: Tassy Gorman
Producer: Katie Rowe
Tickets: $15-$30
SLUTNIK™ will be performed until 15 October 2022 as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival
