Review by Lauren Donikian
Night 2 at the Everything but the Kitchen Sink Festival; a ten-day festival which celebrates high-concept, low budget theatre made for the inner-west, includes performances by Albert Lin and the cast of Origin story, Rachel Seeto, and Jasper Lee-Lindsay.
Date and Time, a concept by Albert Lin is a behind the scenes look at the life of a poet. With a regular 9-5, Albert has written a poem everyday (except once) since 2017. Singing on entry Lin removes his backpack, mask and changes shoes while setting up his ‘office space’. A sign reveals that the “Poet is in” and the show begins. With a laptop, printer and water bottle Lin talks about his experiences with perfection, the re-butting of it and his learnings about himself and his art. He then encourages members of the audience to join him. They are to select a date that is important to them so he can read it aloud and they can talk about their feelings, the poem itself and what the date means to them over a cup of water. Different cups for each just in case you were wondering.
Under purple lights there is an awkward calm that Lin brings, singing a folk song on entry he gives the audience an opportunity to slow down and really take it all in. Sitting in the silence is hard, but Lin holds his own. There is a tenderness to the way he interacts with each person that joins him, and he listens to their stories to make sense of why the date is important. Whilst holding for planes overhead, the crowd embraces Lin in this one-of-a-kind performance.
A two-seater lounge, a rug and Friends playing in the background is the setting for the second show of the night Origin Story. Writer Eric Jiang introduces us to two friends where one has superpowers and the other does not. How does this affect their friendship and what are the actual superpowers they possess?
Rachel Seeto plays Robin, the one with the superpowers, and Jasper Lee-Lindsay plays Oliver, the one without. We follow their friendship through flashbacks and time jumps. Literally. There is a clear chemistry between Seeto and Lee-Lindsay, and they appear very comfortable in the others company. Whether they are hurdling over the couch or sitting closely on it there is a force field of tension around them. Using the space to its full extent, we travel through tunnels and time with the cast using all the entries and exits of the theatre to create the world that these characters live in. Lee-Lindsay is the silent confident type in his portrayal of Oliver with Seeto playing a fierce but also nonchalant Robin who tests their friendship while trying to save it at the same time. Origin story is a sweet play, that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
After attending both nights of the festival it is safe to say that the producers, Emma O’Sullivan, Lungol Wekina, Mabel Li and Toby Blome have created a safe place for artists to share their stories. With no two shows alike, there is a balance of laughs and heart.
Image Supplied