My Struggle: The Life and Times of an Individ in a World Full of Hipsters is, despite having a really long title, an entertaining show that has a great time poking fun at hipster culture.
World War I has finished and four serviceman (Richard, Joseph, Hans and Lionel) are at a loss of what to do with themselves. Rejected from art school, Lionel is particularly distraught. One badly mixed potion later and the four men are suddenly transported into a new world where they encounter a new breed of person: the hipster. However, the battle is still on to keep Lionel in art school, no matter what it takes.
This is a show that takes a while to get going. Starting as a video performance (with video elements occurring throughout the show), the show really kicks into gear when all four men have been transformed into hipsters and are working out how to tackle this new universe. The four performers have a fantastic physical energy and really throw themselves into the performance. Interactions with the audience are smartly played and by the end, we discover that it is possible for history to repeat itself.
The sound levels (both of the performers and the video) are sometimes way too loud and as such, lines are lost in the cacophony of sound, while the play could probably afford to shave a few minutes off. Despite that, the Violent Romantics have created a riotously funny show especially rewritten for the hipsters of Melbourne.
BY MYF CLARK
