She Kills Monsters - Darlington Theatre Players (9 February 2025)

1999. A time of George Clooney on ER. Twin Peaks. Quantum Leap. I'm Just A Girl style 90s pop. And internet speeds of 56 kb/s. Before social media apps, the smartphone, influencers, and 24/7 connectivity.

How did people who were a little different - dare I say it, nerds - express themselves in such a nascent internet era?

Well, one way was to immerse yourself in a world of fantasy and magic via games such as Dungeons & Dragons which had been around since the 70s. I played a similar game in high school back in the early [redacted]. We were too contrarian for D&D. Ah, the misplaced arrogance of youth.

You could tell a lot about someone from the character they chose to inhabit. It was a serious representation of an inner world of imagination and creativity where you came to genuinely care about your fantasy self, your companions, and the quest you were on.

This is where I probably shouldn't reveal I used to play a particularly nasty Vampire called Lord Sisyphus in Runequest. Yep. Take from that what you will.

Ahem. Moving on...

She Kills Monsters is a love letter to the nerd in all of us and a celebration of the game that liberated people from the average and mundane, at least in their imaginations during game sessions.

It's also about cherishing loved ones for who they really are even when they're no longer around.

Yes, the superstructure may encompass nerddom but there are much deeper themes at work here. The context of the world of the quest is critical.

Let's back up. I'm being a bad DM. I need to set the scene better…

Thoroughly average Agnes (Candice Preston) loses her parents and younger sister Tilly (Sophie Boyland) in a car crash. She finds a journal of Tilly’s D&D quest and seeks help in trying to understand a sister she never really knew through the game world she created. Enter Chuck (Luca Daniel) who becomes her Dungeon Master and guides Agnes through this strange new world while boyfriend Myles (Andre Victor) is more concerned about moving in together.

Agnes fights monsters real and imagined as she navigates Tilly's carefully constructed realm to discover aspects of her sister she never expected. Crucially, Tilly’s sexuality and someone she loved who may not have felt the same way.

There are real threshold guardians other than the ones encountered in the game here. For Tilly, being a closeted gay student in small town Athens, Ohio in 1999 was not an easy thing.

D&D is an escape and a tool of empowerment. Tilly becomes Tillius the level 20 Paladin who fights dragons and leads a company of hardy warriors - Lilith Morningstar (Verity Lux), Kaliope Darkwater (Mary Carter), and Orcus (Sean Wcislo) in a land where everyone is gay.

The show is incredibly funny. First time director Connie Wetherilt leans into the 90s of it all and the joy of game play with a fast paced and, at times, goofy execution which is fun to watch. You ain't ever seen a game map introduced like this one, for example!

Production values are high with an impressive set from Gary Wetherilt who also does monster design and construction. There are a range of creatures that are simply a sight to behold. Or flee. Or stand and fight.

House Wetherilt is also represented by Yvette's signature array of wigs and suitably striking make-up while costume designer Merri Ford adds colourful flourishes to these fantastical characters contrasted by geek chic in the real world.

There is a clever sound design (Guy Jackson) in both music cues and effects that summon peak 90s memories for those of us who recall such a time. With atmospheric lighting design by Shelly Miller as we plunge into the depths of Newlandia in search of a lost soul and five headed dragon. All of this is a nice mixture of parody and affection.

As are the performances.

Candice Preston anchors the craziness that swirls all around her as a stoic and determined Agnes. She brings emotional heft to genuinely dramatic moments and relatable disbelief as the outsider. It's an excellent turn.

She's well matched with Sophie Boyland who gets to play a duality and does so in style - the vulnerable Tilly who hesitantly explores her sexuality in life; and the courageous Tillius who fights Tilly's demons in the game.

Andre Victor brings a quiet naturalism to Miles and is used as a foil for a strand of comedy dealing in wordplay and double entendre as the real and imagined clash.

Helen Kerr plays high school counsellor Vera with typical poise, not quite crossing the line into the outright bizarre... until she portrays a series of fever dream entities in the game world with more than a little razzle dazzle.

Okay, there's a LOT of craziness and the following embrace their roles with total commitment:

Luca Daniel goes BIG as the pre-eminent nerd, Chuck, who lays down the lore and injects more than a little male adolescent fantasy to proceedings.

Verity Lux vamps it up as the spawn of Satan himself as a demon who enjoys feasting on entrails; while also playing the sweet natured and shy girl of Tilly's dreams in the real world.

Mary Carter threatens to steal every scene she's in as a Dark Elf with a speech pattern that is hilarious. Think an emotionless Spock but at a third. of. the. verbal... speed.

Sean Wcislo plays a demon overlord as a slacker who'd make The Dude blush. Instead of bowling he records 90s television shows on a set with *gasp* a built-in VCR player! Clap when appropriate ;-)

Kailem Mollard brings Penn Jillette style theatrics to the Narrator, only shorter; while Adam 'AJ' Giltrow's fate as Steve is one that I'm still quite emotional over... and over... and over. Steve, when will you learn?!

Which brings us to the tandem of Sophie David and Ebony Uetake as Evil Gabbi and Evil Tina, two succubi who just might be the most dangerous creatures in this made up world. They play their roles well but there's a clear tonal shift here with an inherent nastiness that is a little uncomfortable. But then real monsters say and do things that cut the more sensitive of us to the bone.

This is an entertaining show with surprising emotional depth underneath all the fantastical elements. It looks and sounds great with a frenetic energy that captures a certain niche culture with respect, affection, and loving mockery. I had a fun time with it. She Kills Monsters is on at the Marloo Theatre in Greenmount until 22 February.

Photos by Sean Breadsell

The Trail To Oregon! - Art In Motion Theatre Company (28 October 2023)

The great westward expansion was one of the pivotal events in mid-19th century America as hundreds of thousands of settlers forged a path to the Pacific coast. One of these Emigrant Trails typically started in Missouri and wound its way thousands of kilometres to Oregon. It was a hazardous journey that, in many ways, defined the character of a young nation. Those brave souls had many obstacles to face - bandits, harsh weather, starvation, disease, wagons with octagonal wheels, deformed oxen, aggressive hand puppets, um, vengeful crustaceans, the whims of a capricious God, and, of course, dysentery. Oh, and a particularly savage and bloodthirsty race known only as The Watchers. It's a wonder any of them survived!

Yes, this comedy musical, based on a video game, takes some basic facts and runs wild with exaggeration and absurdity. It follows a family - surname chosen by the audience, in this case the Spareparts - whose farm has burned down so purchase a wagon in Independence, Missouri to head west to Oregon. The family unit comprises the Father (Mathew Leak), Mother (Lukas Perez), 7 year old Son (Verity Lux), 14 year old Daughter (Brittany Isaia), and Grandpa (Max Leunig), all named by the audience with great enthusiasm. We had a Yo Mama, Woody Woodpecker, Screw Loose, and Seymour Butts while the father's *name was probably an inside joke I didn't quite catch and seemed to change slightly on each utterance. These were incorporated into lyrics and dialogue with generally amusing effect. Riley Merigan plays a variety of characters they encounter on the way, notably the bandit McDoon.

At first I didn't quite know what to make of what was going on. The volume of the performers' mics was quite loud to compete with the onstage band so a lot of the expository lyrics were hard to catch in the early going. The humour was broad to say the least and it was all being played way over the top. Then it started to win me over as I realised what type of show it was and for this main reason - the talented cast was one hundred percent committed to the bit. Anything less and this could have devolved into a slog but they sold the hell out of the craziness with no shortage of charm and, at the end, considerable bravery. 

They were well supported by the cowboy-hat-wearing band who were all visible, corralled behind a wooden fence. There was also a bit of a home crowd feel to the audience who cheered on approvingly so I settled into a night of entertaining silliness. It also helped that the story vaguely reminded me of that great, quirky road trip movie Little Miss Sunshine where a fixated father and practical mother travel to California in a broken-down VW van with their starry-eyed daughter, withdrawn son, and crotchety grandfather. In this analogy Steve Carell is the... ah, blind and horny ox pulling the wagon (sorry, Steve). 

Every performer gets a moment to shine, whether it's Leak extolling the virtues of the journey ahead in The Grind or trying to woo Mother before the portentous Dysentery World; Perez dishing out homespun practicality and sass whilst also delivering the vocal highlight of the show with their solo When The World's At Stake; Leunig leading the cast in the whacky first act highlight Pays To Be An Animal; or Lux, displaying deft comic timing throughout, plunging headlong into the show closer Naked In A Lake where the cast strip down to tan bodysuits and tights as the second part of perhaps the zaniest ending you'll ever witness in a musical. 

The first part of that ending involves the audience selecting the fate of one of the family members. On this night it was Isaia who was tapped to perform a, shall we say, breezy and theatrically aromatic tour de force that saw her throw herself around the stage with the threat of wardrobe malfunctions aplenty. Isaia also has a strong vocal moment at the start of the second act with Lost Without You. Then there's Merigan who is the spare parts man extraordinaire to this Spareparts family. Forget dressing up as Barbie, Ken or Oppenheimer for Halloween... if you're not rocking a full-size Lobster costume (which genuinely had me in stitches) or Ox outfit you're simply not doing it right. Merigan chomps his way through the scenery with a bevy of villains and bizarre characters the family encounters.

The band under Musical Director Joshua Hollander plays an integral part in keeping the tempo upbeat, even rocketing the second act along with the frenetic Speedrun. As befits the mostly mid-west country vibes, it's a guitar (Sam Michael; Erin Steicke, bass) and banjo (Kieran Ridgway) driven score that's a jaunty accompaniment to the antics right in front of them. Hollander and Jennifer Phan play piano with Dylan Boxwell on drums and an uncredited saxophone player makes a cameo when Father is in the mood for lurve. 

Director Micheal Carroll allows plenty of room for the cast to "go big" with a sparse set and uncomplicated props including the practical simplicity of the wagon itself. Production Assistants Stella Sawyer and Tashlin Church create effective costumes for the family members with some memorable flourishes utilised for various creatures and villains. Sophie David enhances the eclectic nature of the family members with idiosyncratic choreography that favoured energy over technique. 

In all it's a boisterous show that doesn't shy away from its inherent silliness and one that the cast seemed to enjoy immensely with several corpsing alerts along the way. The audience also had a blast the night I was there and, I admit, I was heartily laughing along to the absurdity. A fun night at the theatre. 

*after inadvertent digital snooping I believe the name bestowed upon Father was Hatsune Miku who is - quick Google search - a 16 year old 'virtual idol'... okay then. *checks notes* I guess I was close with Hotsuemekoo (blank stare).