FRED

This is bare bones theatre reliant squarely on performance, writing and direction. The fact that Fred works so successfully is a real testament to the talent and hard work that Lisa Chappell and Christopher Stollery have put into their craft. The show is relentlessly dark, but also extremely funny. It strikes a balance between the horrific and the hilarious, creating an emotional effect that is painfully unsettling but entirely entrancing.

Chappell’s acting is exceptional. Her ability to portray the insanity of being lost in an agonising and devastating memory one second, then flick back to frivolous silliness, is sublime. Director Stollery provides a creative and critical ‘third eye’, and together, they have spawned a one-woman tour de force that is unmissable.

Equally noteworthy is Chappell’s script. Her work explores the most morbid crevices of the human imagination, but her storytelling stubbornly remains in the realm of jokes and laughter. This is a perfect (and intense) representation of trauma, mental illness and the human instinct for survival. (SW)

Until Sep 8, Old 505 Theatre, 342 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, $27+bf, venue505.com

BY SUZY WRONG

 

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