Bold, brazen and unapologetic comes this interrogation of sex and sex education from the perspective of three naïve Year 12 students. On the cusp of final exams, larger than life Anna (Louisa Cusumano) is writing erotic fiction and publishing it online. It concerns a charged lesbian relationship between a young woman and a monster (read into that vampire), who ravages her.
Among those reading it are her besties, Immi (Mia Tuco) and Rheya (Miela Anich). After her mates suggest that the work could be improved, Anna prevails upon them to collaborate and collectively enter a writing competition. It carries a significant cash prize that could fund a summer holiday to Fiji for the trio.
And so, in between a series of bizarre announcements, carried regularly over the school’s public address system, Anna, Immi and Rheya pour out the chapters. All are virgins, so the explicit material comes courtesy of their vivid imaginations. They don’t hold back, but Rheya, in particular, draws upon an unlikely source for inspiration, while Anna breaks a cardinal rule of solidarity.
Further, the time they spend on this extra curricula activity compromises their exam preparations. Before this is over, the girls will fall out and lessons will be learned in the name of friendship.
Fun, creative and, as well performed as it is, I had problems with Gag Reflex. Written by Flick (SLUTNIK™ and SLUTNIK™ 2: Planet of the Incels) and directed by Tansy Gorman (who was also responsible for the dramaturgy), I felt that it struggled to engage for the entirety of its 90-minute running time.
I say that because I found the girls’ writing of the sexual content repetitive, while the PA announcements, which started out as funny, became wearing. I also thought that the overall script was a little thin. A tight, one-hour show would have been better.
And then there was the delivery and the sound, especially in the early stages. The actors delivered at breakneck speed, were shrieky and shouty, and regularly talked over each other, so they couldn’t be readily understood. It may have been what was called for, but it didn’t work.
Further, notwithstanding an impressive, pink curtained and carpeted set, the sound was trapped and didn’t travel well to the audience (I was sitting in the middle of the second row). In short, muffled sound is the last thing you want in any production. I am afraid the same can be said for the PA announcements, which, too, sounded compromised.
Online responses to the girls’ writing are displayed in overhead projections. In order to take that in, your head has to repeatedly move away from the core of the action. I would have much preferred another, less challenging, solution. Or, do away with the projections, altogether.
On the positive side, the “out there” costuming is superb, specifically as it relates to the students’ storytelling. I also appreciated the lighting design. And notwithstanding my comments about speed and the lack of travelling sound, I thought all the actors fundamentally performed their “exploratory” roles admirably. So it is that with more work and a tighter script, Gag Reflex would resonate much more strongly than it did.
It is on at La Mama Courthouse until 29th May, 2026.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Anna X, at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre – theatre review
- SLUTNIK 2: Planet of Incels (Theatre Works) – theatre review
- Motherlod_^e (Frenzy Theatre Company) – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.