Mr Burns

Anne Washburn’s Musical hit Mr Burns, a post-electric play is coming to Australia, bringing a humerous and uniquely driven world with The Simpsons at its centre.

This three-act performance begins in a post-apocalyptic, post-electric America when a disaster strikes, causing nuclear power stations all around the country to explode. The surviving characters re-enact the Simpson stories and throughout the play, they travel around the country to perform live episodes of the Simpsons.

Director Imara Savage said “the idea [Anne] is exploring is how stories survive beyond an apocalypse… over a period of 100 years where electricity and Google no longer exist, how you’re able to document the story and recognise how it changes in each retelling.”

Imara wanted to illuminate these ideas and clearly define the worlds of each act, “I think it’s a really challenging play to direct, it’s not really a play, it doesn’t have a plot or character development in the way a normal play would. By the third act, the actors no longer exist… there are entirely new people performing this fake religious ritual.”

This play takes a unique form, unlike other traditional performances at the theatre and this is what caught Imara Savage’s attention.

“What interested me really was how formally interesting it was. It’s full of pop references such as Rhianna and Eminem, while at the same time it’s got Shakespeare, Greek theatre, Pageant theatre and Pantomime”, Savage concluded. (JM)

Until Jun 25, Various performance times. Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills. $40-$72. Tickets & Info: www.belvoir.com.au

By Jade Morellini.

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