Type: Fringe Theatre, Spoken Word Poetry, Queer Theatre
If You Liked: Wright and Grainger’s Orpheus and Eurydice
There is a trend that has taken hold of fringe theatre over the last decade of having a guitarist speak in verse to an audience for over an hour under lamplight. It’s clearly artists and makers trying to emulate the theatre juggernauts that are Wright and Grainger, and while many have failed to do so, perhaps theatre’s the worst of us has not. Not only have they followed the path and emerged with a knockout show, they’ve found their own style and have created a new piece that is deeply captivating and brimming with soul.
Written and performed by Emmett Aster (along with the other half of perhaps theatre, Robbie Fieldwick), the piece sits somewhere between a lamp-lit poetry slam and an underground lo-fi indie fringe show. Honestly, it is perfectly suited to Qtopia’s Substation. The piece intertwines stories of people’s ‘worst’ moments, and while each is individual, their sense of shared tragedy and the examination of the human tendency to dwell feels candid without ever feeling saccharine. Aster is utterly bewitching on stage. They could have diverted into reading a phone book and we’d not have noticed, as they are so engrossing.
Another exquisite addition to the show is the use of multicoloured lamps and glow stars. The lamps have their own essential role in the storytelling, giving visual cues to which story we’re in, and which words are verbatim or interpretation. They go far beyond being atmospheric aids. Accessibility is clearly at the forefront of the makers’ minds, as the scripts are readily available for those who wish to read along.
‘The worst of us’ is dripping in yearning and longing to find peace when we have to live with parts of us we hide. I left feeling a little freer and a little more peaceful, and that is a wonderful gift.
While the current Sydney season of the worst of us and its companion show play has concluded its extremely short season as part of Pride Fest, they are returning to the Sydney Fringe Festival later this year and I have no doubt they’ll be gems of the festival, and over the coming years become hot tickets, that people will be saying, “oh, you must see,” when giving recommendations.
