Witty, irreverent, and ironically self-aware, ALLSTARS is a comedic exploration of exactly how far the three members of the Just Friends Theatre Company will go to reach fame and fortune. Full of whacky humour and overdramatic monologues, Hannah Davidson, Rebecca Fingher, and Sian Murphy are blessed with spot-on comedic timing and refreshingly original writing.
Cast of ALLSTARS photography by Sophie Minissale
I was unsure what to expect from the show and it’s still hard to explain without ruining the magic by giving away every joke. Each skit and scene is joined by the common thread of the girls’ desire for stardom. They try all sorts of underhand, overhand, and heavy-handed (wink wink) techniques to get famous at any cost. They are clearly close friends off-stage, and their easy chemistry allows for the friction between them to work up into hilariously unhinged schemes. Highlights include a misunderstanding that turns a celebrity exercise video into a sex tape (the show comes with a nudity warning, but don’t worry, it’s not crass or over-sexualised, purely hilarious), extreme measures taken to get the emotional experience required for a convincing performance of Romeo and Juliet, and a scandalous liaison with a shark.
Sian Murphy in ALLSTARS photography by Sophie Minissale
ALLSTARS is funny for all adults, but perhaps aimed at the ‘millennial generation’ in particular, thanks to the use of social media and the pop culture references primed for those in their mid-twenties. It is also especially relevant for those also trying to ‘make it’ in the arts, or participating in the ‘gig economy.’ While at first glance the deepest moment of the show is the dramatic monologue from Twilight, the general concept begs the question, how far should one go to achieve one’s dreams? Is anything off limits? And if nothing is, where is the line between the performing self to be advertised and sold, and the personal self, to be kept off the market?
These questions arise only on reflection after the show, however, as the entire fifty minutes in the State Theatre Centre’s rehearsal room is taken up with raucous laughter. I barely had time to get over one fit of giggles before being ambushed by another one from an unexpected direction. The Just Friends crew are three talented, witty young women who are surely on their way to the fame they so desire.
ALLSTARS runs from now to the 29th of Jan.