Living with other people is tedious. People are known to ‘borrow’ your possessions, mock your lifestyle choices, have raucous sex during the night, and most importantly, forget that water has a boiling point. They impersonate you for entertainment, and tell other people about you – but not as much as Party At My House does.
Set in the humble suburb of Brunswick East, Party At My House is a series of Big Brother-like confessions of six share-house roommates. Throughout the show we become privy to their secrets and their frustrations of living with other people. Comedian and occasional photographer Marek Platek portrays the strange characters, bringing to light the mutual experiences all house-mates seem to have.
The sixty minute comedy opens when you’re first ushered into the room by a disheveled man with a matted beard. It is later, when he is narrating the story with pompous insanity, that you become aware he is the landlord of this house and he really just wants a cookie. Playwright Audrey Hulm deserves kudos for the implementation of this framing narrative – without it, the transition between each roommate would’ve become disjointed.
The characters are an eclectic collection: a pretentious artist called Karen, a masturbation addict, a hyperactive dog that no one really likes, some person who is called the ‘Internet Vampire Hunter’, Hula Girl, and the much anticipated return of Domestos, the acid fairy. Through them, Party At My House illustrates a story of human existence hidden behind innuendoes, basketball heads and ketamine witticisms.
Karen whines about how no one respects her lifestyle choices as a vegan. Murray, the masturbation addict and car enthusiast with a penchant for hardcore drugs, presents the strange relationships that can occur in share houses. Domestos, being a cleaning product addict, repeats the mantra: ‘Clean as you go!’, a mantra that incited empathetic eye rolls.
Platek’s portrayal of a friendly canine must also be commended – an absolute mockery of those roommates with pets, Benji the dog confesses why he whines at your door, eats your food and ruins your carpet.
In fact, Party At My House is full of idiosyncrasies that make you think: ‘It’s not just me!’ Platek aptly captures the array of expressions associated with these moments, displaying his knack for mimicry. Strange, witty and probably quite familiar, you’ll laugh with, and at, Platek – just like everyone else.
Party At My House will show at The Locker on Wednesday October 10 and Sunday October 14. Tickets are $12 full-price and $10 concession (group tickets are $10 per person for 4 people).
