The poster with the hues of skin tones, I love. To see shades of diversity drew me instantly towards the show as the title doesn’t give too much away. Rape, unfortunately, is an issue we are still widely dealing with. We shouldn't be, but we are, and performances such as this push for change and re-educating our society.
The unit of friendship between all four characters was refreshing, I could relate to the importance having fewer friends who will check up on you to see if you’re okay no matter how much you hide yourself. Aditi is caring and observant of her friends, she keeps everyone level. I could appreciate Ayla who doesn’t take any nonsense and speaks up when she feels is right – it was like watching myself. Jay was a character I would have liked to see explored further. In his monologue, he revealed depth to his story but it was nearing towards the end and I knew we weren’t going to find out.
From the fluorescent strobe lighting setting the scene of party and chaos, it foreshadowed a dilemma, an off-feeling inside me because of how long it dragged on. I did feel, as though, the music lingered in moments where silence would have better suited to help me hear what Iove wanted to share. It was clear she was confused and was looking for someone to talk to and as there was no one in that scene with her, she broke the fourth wall with her questions and I felt close but the music didn’t let me connect with her. I can forgive the poorly-timed voiceovers and sharp scene changes, we are not in a real theatre and we have to adapt, but, Iove’s story sort of spewed out all in one go. Some lines were blatant in their words, and told not showed. Even though, most would have guessed abuse or rape as soon as she turned her arm to reveal the bruise, it would have been nice to be kept waiting until she decided to open up about it.
After reading the title, I thought of a bunch of 20-some year olds getting drunk and trying to navigate their way through life. After watching it, it brought to light the power of the family you choose and who you surround yourself with. I am intrigued to see the strength of the friendship tested and the dynamic progress.
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