Overflow – REVIEW

To state the very obvious, a one-actor show stands or falls on the performance of that one actor. You can have a brilliant script, great lighting, excellent sound, stunning sets, all the bells and whistles, but if the single person at the centre of it all isn’t firing, well, the other stuff is superfluous. 

Janet Anderson, the sole performer in the neon spotlight of bathroom drama, Overflow, is definitely firing. In fact, Anderson could quite possibly have pulled it off in a black skivvy and pants on a bare stage with no theatrical devices. She really is very good. 

However, the theatrical devices in this Australian premiere production of Overflow do add to the magic. 

British playwright/performance artist/advocate, Travis Alabanza wrote Overflow based on their own experiences as Black and gender-non-conforming in transphobic Bristol and London. Rosie, the character in Overflow, is a young trans woman who is trapped in the ladies’ bathroom of a nightclub, fearful of the intermittent and threatening banging on the bathroom door by an unseen foe. 

The hour-long play unfolds in real-time as Rosie shares her philosophies on life, childhood memories, disappointment over misgiven friendships, and wisdom gained – in particular, the survival-borne genius of the pre-emptive piss. 

As time passes and the door-banging continues, Rosie becomes increasingly anxious, despite her outward show of bravado. The claustrophobic set, dim lighting, and muffled music through the walls, draws the audience into Rosie’s anxiety. 

That anxiety is ramped up when the title is realised. No spoilers, but the stage architecture is quite impressive and the water-effect adds much to the drama. 

Anderson is utterly engaging, adept at a variety of anglo accents, expressive without being histrionic. Her movements are considered, as filled with intonation and nuance as her vocal delivery. 

Director, Dino Dimitriades, has created a tight, choreographed show while clearly giving Anderson space to do her own thing. Dimitriades also designed the set which feels authentically like a nightclub toilet, yet has an abstract artistry to it. 

Benjamin Brockman’s lighting is mood-shifting, underscoring Rosie’s vicissitudes, responding to tension, humour, sentimentality. 

Same goes for Danni Esposito’s sound design which goes beyond merely recreating the dampened beats of a dancefloor and instead becomes one with the narrative. 

The writing is beautifully crafted; the script is funny, cheeky, political, sad, disconcerting, heart-warming. 

There are so many levels of overflow. Just go and see it. 

Until September 25

Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst

www.darlinghursttheatre.com/overflow