[Punctum’s punk-infused offering packs a punch]
When getting into Basement Theatre’s essential stage, the very first thing I discover is the set design by Minsoh Choi, because the again wall of the stage has been painted a shiny, child pink. Given the present’s punk aesthetic, it’s a daring and pretty bad-ass transfer and I’m silently impressed after estimating the associated fee for a tin of paint. This manufacturing is part-funded by CNZ and Foundation North, and developed via Proudly Asian Theatre’s Fresh Off the Page initiative and Playmarket’s Asian Ink Award; a variety of arms have helped to carry this mahi to life, and my expectations are excessive.
On stage, there’s a stack of amps and different musical paraphernalia, and pink cords cling from the ceiling – a tangled mess, evocative of a recording session gone very flawed.
Directed by Nahyeon Lee, Chick Habit is Punctum Production’s sophomore manufacturing and follows Nathan Joe’s Losing Face which ran as a part of August’s Matchbox collection at Q. Chick Habit is the most recent providing from playwright Nuanzhi Zheng who additionally co-wrote Yang/Young/杨, and I’m intrigued to know the play started as a comic book guide zine, questioning how these visible and story components will evolve.
As the motion begins, we meet our three central characters: college buddies Olivia (Louise Jiang), Yolande (Nomuna Amarbat) and Xanthe (Shervonne Grierson), and their mixed presence is a ball of youthful vitality as they focus on plans to kind a punk band.
The narrative’s non-linear construction permits us to see variations of the three ladies of their a lot youthful states, with their uniform-clad wide-eyed innocence fuelling the story. We study of Olivia’s present-day separation from her buddies, and, via an entertaining telephone name with the crematorium employee (Celine Dam), we hear of Olivia’s difficult relationship together with her mom (Jo Lo) – who’s lifeless and likewise occurs to be haunting her.
Having learn the present teaser, the play continues as anticipated: Olivia is offended that her buddies are capitalising on her authentic music and seeks to problem them publicly, and does so by interrupting a humorous electro-pop efficiency. Draped in what I can solely deduce is a blue internet curtain, Yolande takes centre stage and sings ethereally whereas accompanied by Xanthe on a synthesiser – fingers rhythmically jabbing on the instrument, complementing her pleasant ‘I’m a severe muso’ facial expressions.
This first duo efficiency units the bar excessive, because of some comedic touches from the ensemble. Celine Dam sparkles in each scene as she morphs into caricatures: followers, a safety guard, and the beforehand talked about crematorium employee. She excels within the probability to point out off her vary, enjoying with voice and timing to generate a roomful of snickers.
She’s not the one character who enjoys enjoying the idiot – Shervonne’s Xanthe will get a number of the stellar strains of the present. She exits a scene by asking a simmering Olivia what telephone she’ll get subsequent, ‘Motorola or..?’ and her inflection alone makes the room giggle as one.
The play depends upon high quality sound – from the orchestration and mixing of dwell efficiency to the manufacturing high quality of onstage voices – and the horseshoe presentation makes it difficult to ship a full, balanced sound throughout the viewers. Given that the whip-smart dialogue is entrance and centre, a special iteration of the present may concentrate on voice projection and sound balancing to keep away from key strains being misplaced.
A subplot relating to sexuality is contemporary and youthful, utilizing playful language to lighten the temper throughout a ultimate showdown between the threesome, and the strategy to queerness is with a relaxed, ‘it’s no large deal’ high quality generally seen amongst Gen-Z. It’s nice to see a number of queer, Asian ladies taking on house on stage and I might’ve appreciated to have seen this ingredient develop, studying extra about who the ladies at the moment are, capable of become familiar with sexuality of their mid-20s.
I can’t assist however really feel there isn’t but sufficient complexity inside the mother-daughter relationship for its decision to pay-off, a sense compounded by an viewers member’s ill-timed cell phone alert, sadly breaking the strain of Olivia’s monologue in one of the vital poignant scenes of the manufacturing. Louise addresses the viewers in character, breaking the fourth wall, however the injury has been achieved.
Either approach, I’m wanting to see extra between the core buddies, and music to drive the story additional. It’s later within the manufacturing that there’s time to shine, the place we see the fireplace between the three central characters and the ability concerned in studying and performing an authentic punk-inspired tune. This second of after-school storage jam-session is by far the manufacturing’s spotlight: the tune is energetic and catchy, and there’s a formidable cohesion amongst the forged.
The finish of the manufacturing focuses on Olivia’s grief and we’re left wanting extra, to see an encore of their musical collaboration. Then, as if by magic, we enter the lobby post-show to real-life Auckland-based punk band Club Ruby, based and fronted by queer Asian performer Jade Lewis, and the band play via their debut EP which they launched final week.
The environment is gentle and, whereas not fairly riotous, it’s sufficient to really feel subversive. Chick Habit is an uplifting present about queer, Asian ladies in a punk band – and that alone in our present local weather is fairly revolutionary. What extra may Tāmaki Makaurau ask for proper now?
Chick Habit performs Basement Theatre Twenty fourth-Twenty eighth October 2023
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