Though the venue for the Alphabetti Theatre has changed, it has maintained an air of mystery and spontaneity as the new building is just as difficult to find, and as wonderful once you have. I would highly recommend going (if, of course, you can find it) for a great bar, café and bookshop as well as cheap fringe theatre.
The performance was a one-woman show about the difficulties of being a twenty-something-year-old, and other pitfalls of millennialism. Alongside this was a look at heritage, and how the trials and tribulations of this era contrast with those of our parents and grandparents.
This felt particularly potent in the narrative of a third generation immigrant, and the light-hearted imitation of a parent complimented the recordings of a grandparent speaking in their native language. This genuine exploration and display of the protagonist’s culture cast an alternative light on the usual gags about Tinder, reliance on parents or Siri, and the inevitability of living at home for inestimable lengths of time post-graduation.
This genuine exploration and display of the protagonist’s culture cast an alternative light on the usual gags about Tinder, reliance on parents or Siri, and the inevitability of living at home for inestimable lengths of time post-graduation.
The production was simple and effective—just a woman in a spotlight changing her headwear. The sole actor played multiple hilarious characters including a bitchy, trashy pregnant cousin who was a particular favourite. She also used a few audience members, seamlessly rupturing the fourth wall, in impressively non-awkward participation sketches.
Though the 'lost twenty to thirty-year-old’ bit has got a bit old, it remains fresh if the jokes are good and the characters are well made. When this is done well, anyone in a vaguely relatable situation leaves feeling calm and reassured in the knowledge that you are not alone in your strange non-poverty, over-education yet lack of preparation, and apparent total lack of prospects. You feel reassured that this is now the norm, and go and buy a pint and a crumpet you can’t afford.