#PRINCESS is the latest creation from fear + love theatre company. It attempts to tell discuss themes of political corruption, mass media, social media, and control through two rather divergent plot lines – the story of a royal family’s power struggle, and society’s engagement with the world wide web.
One of the most critical problems with the show was the lack of continuity and connection between the two. The royal family’s clothes and palace were presented in a Renaissance-style aesthetic, but jarring scene changes into modern-day Internet phenomenon were not handled well. Potentially rousing speeches fell on confused ears as the audience tried to grapple with how the two aspects were supposed to inform each other. A beautiful comedic moment of characters from the two worlds crossing over was also, ultimately, a little baffling.
A monitor/screen in the centre of the stage above the throne was almost an effective conduit between the two aspects of the show. At one point it showed the princess trying to use Twitter to reach her people, and it was a great example of how the device could have been utilised even more to bring the worlds together. An impressive video played on this screen at the conclusion of the show and hinted at its incredible, albeit untapped, potential.
#PRINCESS relied on the audience recognising each of the viral YouTube videos they re-enacted, and the laughter indicated the audience did, but there seemed no discernable significance to the clips they picked. Intriguing themes of prescription drug dependence and severe Internet trolling were touched upon, but inadequately explored. The show felt somewhat like a presentation of a list of issues facing modern-day society – not inaccurate, but not exactly gripping. None of the characters seemed to be truly grappling with the issues raised, and the audience were left with a sense of ‘so what?’ lingering in the air. The King had his medication forced on him but was never given an adequate opportunity to explore how he felt about it or whether or not he actual suffered any kind of mental illness. The Princess was upset by the cruel tweets as they rolled in, but then didn’t raise the matter again or reflect on it at all.
When the thinly-veiled crosshairs turned to Tony Abbott the criticisms were accurate but unfortunately not fresh enough to get any laughs. A Melbourne Fringe Festival audience normally jump at the chance to enjoy a joke at Abbott’s expense, but nobody laughed at the speech about choosing the (male) Chancellor as the new Minister for Women.
Michael Gosden delivers an excellent performance as the elderly Alfred and a youthful fitness-freak. Chelsea Zeller, as the Princess and the other fitness-freak, was funny and moving at every opportunity that the writing gave her.
Overall, the show is awkward. Actors made impromptu jokes at the beginning of the performance about the lack of audience members, and a very physical masturbation joke relatively early into the show was received with some discomfort. Sporadic moments of eloquence (particularly by Zeller and Alistair Frearson as The Chancellor) were notable, but when the moving speeches finished the confusing dual narrative resumed, removing any inclination for the audience to let themselves be carried away.
#PRINCESS runs from the September 26th – October 3rd at 6:45pm at the Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne. See more at: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/program/event/view/9b55e61d-c1cf-479a-8b22-ee545f5ecbdd
