SLAM – the Society of Lesbians Against Men – are running for Parliament. They want to elevate ABCMs – Anyone But Cis Men. But as their views and tactics become more and more extreme, their political positions start to affect a group of four lesbian friends when one of their neighbours goes missing.
Welcome to
SLAY, an agit-prop theatre piece devised by director Steph Lee in collaboration
with dramaturg Sarah Iman and performers Raven Rogers-Wright, Jackie van Lierop,
Anita Mel La Terra and Louisa Cusumano. This piece moves like a speedy
doom-scroll through social media, with an occasional check-in of a dating app
or a snippet from the National Press Club.
The play
opens with a scene of smash, marry, kill – later narrowed down to the even more
demanding smash or kill. The optics are clear; young people have got less and
less choice in life. And going to extremes feels like their only option.
Scattered
throughout the show are political discussions of how far is too far when trying
to upend and re-order society. These young women know that if things don’t
change, it’s only going to get worse for them. It’s not going to be enough to
fix things, political structures need to be broken down and rebuilt.
The women we are following
are worried that SLAM might be going too far. Meanwhile, someone is following them – a person in a
sequin-covered Ghostface mask, ready to take these lesbians out one by one.
Parts of
the show are very clear-eyed in their intent; the arguments between Reddit
Users are slick and inventive. The one-on-one personal scenes feel a bit too
cliched, but the show never slows down, so the moments that don’t feel revelatory
are followed up by something more physical and full-bodied, like a solo and
then a ill-matched duo dancing to “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado.
Tom Vulcan’s
Set and Lighting Design perfectly compliment the action, dazzling with some
colourful gels and whipping in some sheer plastic curtains to protect the audience from blood splatter during the murder scene. The bold proscenium arch is a cheeky choice in this small space, but it's clever in the way it frames and supports the action. Alyssa Jayde Clay’s AV Design is evocative, especially when projecting the powerful women demanding radical change. Louisa Fitzgerald’s costuming is thoughtful and quirky.
The cast
work well together, especially in their full cast scenes, even if a couple of
them had trouble projecting in a small space like the Explosives Factory.
SLAY is a mash-up of lots of ideas – the
team finding clever and funny ways to attack the political system during this
current phase of growing conservatism across the world. While not every scene
works, the message about standing up and being heard is made very clear. And while
warning against extremism in every guise is astute, these theatremakers are
more concerned by two acute threats – apathy for politics and continuing
violence against women.
It's fitting that Steph Lee previously directed Declan Greene's Home Economics, because this show feels a bit like Sisters Grimm's early work - at first it appears chaotic, but then you see the gold underneath. At a time when all discussions of politics can be fraught and overwhelming, SLAY doesn't get bogged down by serious subjects, it has fun with them.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
SLAY is on stage at Theatre Works’
Explosives Factory until March 29
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