THEATRE: THIS KIND OF RUCKUS
“Just stand there and posture,” is probably not something the producer of version 1.0’s This Kind of Ruckus, David Williams, got to say to the devisors cum performers. A play about, “power, control and violence in intimate relationships,” – think the Matthew Johns scandal, think penises placed face-height on the bus, think the predatorial turf of booze joints – Williams admits it might not be one you, or the performers, “enjoy,” per se. Fiercely physical, it’s an uncomfortable and confronting journey through a series of loosely related vignettes building and transgressing boundaries. One finds a couple in counselling following a public domestic violence dispute. This is funny, although it shouldn’t be. Another has the group quietly berating their friend for the way she breaks up with a boxer – resulting in a night of non-consensual sex. Or there’s the anecdote of two cocky women cruising through Enmore, only to interfere in an ice bust. From small incidents to large, this covers the entire body. But does it penetrate the issue to its heart? Perhaps it doesn’t need to. It does communicate that there isn’t one right way to act or feel. And it will provoke, as Williams hopes for, conversations after the show, “Preferably after a strong drink or two.”
Until Sept 12, Performance Space at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, $15-30, 1300 723 038 or ticketmaster.com.au
