Comeback Festival Week 2 → Goodwood Theatre & Studios
Saturday 23rd August, Goodwood Theatre & Studios
Following a wonderful first weekend at Goodwood Theatre and Studios, I returned for week two’s lineup titled: ‘Playful, Bold and Unexpected’ on Saturday night! As usual, there was a wholesome community vibe, audience members of varying ages, and on the supper menu this week a hearty potato and leek soup and DIY pork/tofu buns! Try to name a theatre with more hearty hospitality than this… I’ll wait!
Show 1: Bang on the Nerve.
FIVE STARS
Bang on the Nerve was last performed in 2024 and returns for one final run at Comeback Festival. Written by Van Badham and performed by Danielle Lim and Sam Lau, the show strikingly hits the collective nerves of the reality of dating in the 21st century. This one-bedroom scene between Ellie and Louis grips the audience through a friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, leaving us, and them, to question, were they right for each other all along?
Louis sits in a realistic messy bedroom of a 20-something male. Ellie comes in raging about her day as a primary school teacher, launching into a vent about how the children give her grief because she’s Asian. She’s instantly confident and self-assured, proud of who she is and unafraid to call out the contradictions of dating and working as a young Asian woman in Australia. As someone who personally enjoys calling out patriarchal contradictions - I like her instantly!
Louis eventually reveals his relationship is over, and spends a moment wallowing in the injustice of it all whilst Ellie boldly attempts to (somewhat) console him. Lau’s portrayal of Louis’ emotional vulnerability was clear and excellent throughout. What is most entertaining in this work is that the characters constantly battle it out for the upper hand. When one gains the sweet satisfaction of proving a contradictory point, the other comes in to bat. They bring to the forefront the realities of navigating relationships in your 20s— whether chasing security or intimate fun, its clear that neither is smooth sailing. And why is this so?
Louis is perceived as the loveable muso who is now battling with what to do out of the ultimate betrayal by his former girlfriend. Ellie initially rants about how harmless, casual intimacy is the ideal goal to chase, however it is not long before she faces a similar fate. These events alter the tone of the show as Ellie and Louis realise that maybe their friendship can be the backbone of a thriving relationship.
Ironically, neither Ellie or Louis have dated an Asian person before, so this simmering tension between them has the audience hoping that they will give each other a go. But in thinking this, just because they are both Asian proves this show’s point underlying points about the undercurrent of race and silly “who-dates-who” rules in Australia— because it actually, really shouldn't matter at all.
Lau and Lim make excellent use of the set, even in a dialogue-heavy piece, their blocking and movements keep us engaged. A couple of times throughout Lau busts out his acoustic guitar to break up the tension. There are powerful '“ah-huh” moments in their dialogue, balanced with comedic jokes and jabs at Australia’s attitudes towards dating.
Bang On The Nerve is superbly witty and powerful, a poignant reminder about the importance of continuing to amplify Asian voices throughout the arts in this country. Whilst this might be the end of the run for Bang On The Nerve, I hope to see this kind of work and stories continue!
Show 2: Have Sex With Me, Please.
FIVE STARS
In the late night slot this week is Zero Theatre Collective with their duo-comedy Have Sex With Me, Please. These are the fringe shows that I love, when from the get-go, you buckle in for a comedic ride that could take you anywhere, when the audience is unafraid to jump in and drive the show, and where the end goal is just to make fun!
Comedy duo Eddie Morrison and Nate Karagiannis host a righteous “workshop” on how to be sexy, cool, and appealing to women. On the huge back screen is their PowerPoint presentation— indicating that this is serious business. At the start, they say they are virgins, but the internet is telling them that it's cool to get down. Eddie decides it's time for his transformation to become more appealing to women. They establish a hilarious gag that Nate has completed a very official and scientific degree in “sexual science” and Eddie trusts him (and the audience) to guide him into a masc, alpha male that women will throw themselves at.
Eddie and Nate clearly have a strong friendship as their foundation, because their whole onstage dynamic was smooth and utterly enjoyable to watch. They were unafraid to throw each other some curveballs away from the script to keep each other on their toes which was hilarious to watch. This dynamic instantly had the audience onside, and we too, became unafraid to throw them some one-liners and curve balls too. Our collective, and often un-initiated response to most of the absurdities being “that’s science!”
In Nate’s seminar, his evidence sources are those alpha-male YouTube videos on how to walk, talk and look at women. We laugh along at the outrageousness of these toxic videos - but loveable Eddie tries his best to embody the traits of these hyper-masculine men. With touches of funny slapstick comedy, Eddie exaggeratingly copies their tips: swivel the shoulders, don’t turn your head to look at women, give them a dangerous look. It is truly a hilarious hour and a welcome opportunity to make fun of this type of content!
There’s hilarious costume changes, outrageous props and PowerPoint effects that lead them to a wholesome message about being yourself, embracing your nerdy hobbies, and ignoring the ridiculous advice from those Alpha males.
Eddie and Nate are an epic comedic force, whether it's with this show still, or another, they are a wild force of fun!
~ By Sophie Tsoulos
Festival Run: till 30th August
Theatre: Goodwood Theatre & Studios
Tickets: https://www.goodwoodtheatreandstudios.com.au/about-1
Photos: Jamois Photo by Jamie Hornsby