Review by Kate Gaul
Winner of Best Cabaret and the Edinburgh Touring Award at Melbourne Fringe 2023, and three Green Room Awards for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Direction, “Little Squirt” is written and performed by Darby James with direction and dramaturgy by Casey Gould. Darby James is a storyteller and songwriter originally from UK, raised in Canberra and now a resident of Melbourne.
“Little Squirt” is billed as a comedy cabaret about the process of sperm donation featuring all original songs by Darby James. To be honest I wasn’t sure this show would be for me. Did I really want to spend 60 minutes hearing a man talk and sing about the process of wanking into a jar? How wrong was I?! Darby Jones and his collaborators have crafted a gorgeous hour of exploration and provocation – all set to pre recorded music – around the ethical, practical, philosophical and existential questions surrounding procreation. Basically: should we be having children?
Dressed as a sailor (seaman – yes, the show is full of puns!) he is stranded on a small island of his own confusion – his moral purgatory – as he ponders this unanswerable question. What starts off as a ‘Why not?’ answer to a Facebook advert for donors becomes a journey of exploration into what it means to be a father (given that he will likely never meet his offspring), whether indeed he wants to be a father in the first place, doubts about why he is doing it in the first place (is it selfish? is it generous?) and ultimately, given the state of the planet, whether we should be bringing children into this world at all.
Darby James has mountains of charm (not to mention superb talent) and he effortlessly moves from speaking to singing. The show is funny and sad and has some tear-jerking moments. “Little Squirt” is performed in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre and thankfully this is one show where the sound levels match the tricky acoustic. It is a top-class production all round!
It's an edge of your seat hour as Darby goes through all the physical, psychological, medical and emotional testing which leads to his ponderings on legacy, impact and joy. Yes, joy. Will children born into our current world experience real joy? As a donor he can leave a letter for his potential offspring and Darby generously shares this fragile document with us as we reach the climax of the show. We are left with a powerful revelation which (I hope) will spur further productions.
I anticipate “Little Squirt” will have a longer life in Australia and if it comes to a theatre near you – GO!
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