A deluge of social media, hook up apps, dating profiles, memes and Tik Tok videos assault the audience as we enter the theatre. There, sitting in the midst of it, is Viv – overcome by the barrage of information on the phone in her hand. No wonder she’s anxious.
When the
flood of information subsides, we meet her living in Prahran, standing on a
balcony, having a drink, her cat beside her and her long-term boyfriend
shouting at the footy on the television inside. She’s watching the sunset but
she’s feeling overwhelmed by the moment. Boyfriend, footy, cat, drink, sunset.
Footy, boyfriend, drink, sunset, cat.
She breaks
up with him. He’s not the one. Will she ever find the one that Disney cartoons
promised her? We are told there a lot of fish in the sea, but as one of
the Tik Tok videos points out at the top of the show – the sea is full of garbage.
Vivian
Nguyen’s one-woman show dissects the modern dating experience – in a
confronting, powerful and insightful way. Yes, there are dates with oddball men
and misunderstandings about who is looking for what, but a moment to love
uncovers one woman’s specific experiences and the kind of cold love that has
seeped into her bones from childhood.
Early on,
the play felt like it might have been re-treading old ground but it builds on
our expectations and then starts to undercut them. How much of her past will
inform her future? How can a trail of broken relationships lead to something
healthier?
Director
Alanah Guiry keeps the show tight and running at pace, keeping us in Viv’s head
every step of the way.
Nguyen’s
performance was slightly stilted to begin with but as the text starts to get
more layered and complex, she switches between scenes and characters seamlessly
– and she has the audience in her hand for the rest of the show.
Dating is
full of cliches and a moment to love embraces some of the most
embarrassing things about meeting people in 2022 and reminds us there’s worse
things than feeling foolish. And no wonder it’s so hard to find love when your
entire history is playing on your mind for every moment of every date.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
Find a
moment to love at the Motley Bauhaus as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival
until Oct 9th.
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