‘Fekei’: An Artful Exploration Of Culture And Queerness

It’s not going to be an easy trip to visit family in Fiji for Akanisi (Melissa Applin). Between the anniversary of her grandfather’s passing, a girlfriend planning a proposal and a grandmother unwilling to accept her for who she is, Sarah Carroll’s Fekei tells the story of a queer Pasifika woman struggling with her duelling identities.

Owing to a strong script that makes its characters feel uniquely real, Fekei is a delightful piece of theatre. It varies wildly in tone but never feels inconsistent, effortlessly capturing the highs and lows of family interactions for queer people. It’s this sense of humanity that gives the show lifeblood, and makes it both effortlessly humorous and heart-rending.

Though you might’ve seen stories before where queer people struggle with bringing their partners to traditional families, Fekei feels unique for its specificity. As a queer Pasifika playwright herself, the material feels close to home for writer/director Sarah Carroll. Because of that, it feels like one of the most vulnerable plays I’ve seen so far this year, amplified by the intimacy of Qtopia’s Loading Dock Theatre and some particularly punitive direction and lighting design.

The figurative and literal closeness to the narrative makes Fekei a delight to watch, and occasionally participate in if you’re in the front most rows. No small part of that is due to a truly wonderful cast of performers, who bring the characters to life with empathy and understanding.

Fekei‘s fantastic cast

Melissa Applin leads as Akanisi, who expertly externalises the complicated feelings that the character feels in returning to Fiji. There’s this underlying sense of stress to Akanisi through the entire show, and the moments where it’s unwound are genuinely cathartic thanks to Applin’s emotionally resonant performance.

She particularly shines alongside her fellow castmates, including Natalie Patterson as her girlfriend Sam. Patterson initially portrays Sam as a fairly stereotypical white tourist, but as the narrative progresses makes a real meal out of a woman thrust into an exceptionally difficult situation.

Naisa Lasalosi also shines as Akanisi’s cousin Fatiaki in an absolutely delightful performance. A queer man in a family that can’t accept it, Lasalosi nonetheless chooses to make Fatiaki a character that radiates a sense of joy and self-acceptance, no matter the difficulties that come with it, which means he’s hilarious for most of the show but has moments of sincerity that stick out.

But the highlight of the show has to be Kikki Temple as Akanisi’s Grandma, who perfectly captures the essence of a religious grandmother who loves unconditionally, but struggles to accept her granddaughter’s sexuality. Temple is a knockout, balancing really witty jokes with intense emotion that pays off in spades towards the play’s end.

Fekei does perhaps end a little suddenly – only because you could spend more time with these characters – but it is nonetheless a great piece of theatre with a strong script and cast. An insightful, artfully realised look into the intersection of culture and queerness, it’s a play that’s absolutely worth seeing.

Fekei is playing now at the Loading Dock Theatre.