K.I.J.E.

In 1927 Russian writer Yury Tynyanov penned the novella Lieutenant Kijé, a satire of bureaucracy and the self-sacrificing heroes it creates that has been reincarnated again and again in popular culture: in George Orwell’s 1984, TV mainstay M*A*S*H, even as Elaine’s alter-ego Susie in one episode of Seinfeld. Cut to 2011 and the mind of emerging playwright Joanna Erskine, from which K.I.J.E. has sprung, loosely based on Tynyanov’s vision. Says Erskine: “I adore digging up classic plays, blowing the dust off the covers and getting my hands dirty. Reopening wounds, looking on the other side of the tried-and-tested frame. I have a feeling by the end of my days I will have many revered playwrights rolling in their graves after I’m done.” The modern tweaks are evident immediately: Elvis, graffiti and some black-hooded young men replace the red-coated lieutenants of the original. But, unsurprisingly, the illogicality of war and the pack mentality of those implicated in it remains unchanged. Directed by Sarah Giles and starring TJ Power and Fayssal Bazzi, this is a rare chance to witness a powder keg of new Sydney talent. (AB)

Until Jul 30, Old Fitzroy Theatre, cnr Dowling & Cathedral Sts, Woolloomooloo, $21-33, 9365 0147, rocksurfers.org