Less Than <3 Three, Because I Heart U: The Overdramatic Life of Kyle Connelly
Less Than Three is a satirical portrayal of the cliques and trends of the noughties. Written and directed by Jessica Marsh, the play is composed of a series of vignettes that lament the loss of the emo while sending up the development of Melbourne’s indie/hipster culture over the past few years.
The aim was to create the impression of an indie film with a Disney Channel message – and that’s the best way to sum it up. Working with John Rickard, Marsh has created a piece that weaves multimedia with performance, capturing an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the indie genre. A simple but effective lighting design alongside relevant musical interludes enhanced this effect. A Tamagotchi-style dinosaur singing Simple Plan was a definite highlight.
The acting appeared uneven across the cast, possibly a result of opening night nerves. Standouts included Darcy Whitsed as the lone emo, Kyle, and Elliot Gee as Simon, the lead hipster, who both completely embraced their stereotypical characters. As Kyle’s mysterious girlfriend from Canada, Zoe, Jessica Hutchinson provided a strong performance, while Cara Whitehouse kept the audience entertained with her clown-like antics and hysterical emotional swings.
Less Than Three may have benefitted from some extra workshopping, allowing scenes to be revised and possibly reordered. The vignettes sometimes moved too quickly, and at other times dragged out. Certain aspects, like Whitehouse’s clown character, were enjoyable but needed a greater context earlier in the play to achieve its full effect and gel with the rest of the piece.
Despite some flaws, Less Than Three, Because I Heart U is an enthusiastic, tongue-in-cheek look at Melbourne’s current indie culture and the clichés that surround it. The show runs until October 8 at the North Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets are available via the Fringe Festival website.
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