A show of repurposed waste in a repurposed stage seems fitting a space for the madcap physical theatre of 'Curveball', a new absurdist comedy piece at the La Mama Courthouse theatre that will both bewilder and inspire awe.
Expressing humanity’s deepest current flaws in the form of continual pollution and consumerism in the face of climate change, this play dares to flirt with our inseparable need to create that is tearing us all apart.
Directed and co-devised by Milly Cooper through Wielding Theatre, this piece has seen many changes over the years, being halted by the pandemic before making it to the La Mama stage. The ensemble piece consists of three performers and co-devisers, David Baker, Clarisse Bonello and Ben Jamieson: a trio that truly hold the piece together with their dedication to every movement.
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When entering the theatre you are welcomed to a bare stage with a massive bin in the corner. As triumphant orchestral music swells, delivered by the classic work ‘The Planets’ by English composer Gustav Holst, the performers appear out of the audience, and a few surprise nooks and crannies, to merge. They cavort and contort onstage over a back wall projection which conveys the trajectory that the piece is soon to take.
From then on, Curveball sways in a sea of marred connectivity, humane loss and waste: a theme that quite literally builds up over the course of the show. Baker, Bonello and Jamieson equally shine in their conviction to the evocation of this world that shifts between the mundane, joyfully rummaging through Aldi bags, and the intergalactic. You are taken on a rollicking rollercoaster ride that bends and forms across a pre-post apocalypse that is as flimsy to grasp as the solutions to any of these problems that the play presents.
Without spoiling too much of what makes this piece awe-inspiring, it can be said that the design of set pieces is impressive. A chandelier made entirely out of plastic boxes and milk-bottle human bodies are just some of the inventive ways this play takes on its themes of consumerism and gets creative with it. Projection and music, or the manipulation thereof, are also a highlight, transporting your eyes and ears to a trippy, media-obsessed world.
Another commendable feature of Curveball is its commitment to accessible theatre. Auslan interpreters are present for a number of the shows, as well as offering numerous relaxed performances, audio descriptions and tactile tours. As this is a very minimal show in terms of dialogue, it is by its very nature a show that welcomes to everyone with access requirements.
Many theatre pieces can be blindsided by their need to portray enormously important issues in challenging and avant-garde ways: but not Curveball. What the team at Wielding Theatre have put together speaks boldly on the greatest issues of our time, but is primarily focused on giving its audience a memorable and, most importantly, highly enjoyable theatrical experience.
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