Breaking up is hard to do. So it goes, as Karin McCracken and Simon Leary put on a most entertaining sketch comedy show, peppered with science and some musical numbers. In so doing, they unpack the angst associated with broken relationships. In character, she struggles big time to put the past in the past. It is about staying mired in the why, trawling over what could have and should have been.
The vignettes are interspersed with McCracken’s covers of popular break-up songs (think the likes of Elvis, Celine Dion, The Cranberries and Bonnie Raitt). Her attractive vocals (she says she isn’t a trained singer) combine with reverb on the synthesiser, which she claims she is still trying to master, playing only six chords. It is moved from left to right, from high to low, on a pink carpet that serves as the stage.
This is a fun and mirth-filled production that immediately resonates. McCracken takes to the stage in a striking pant suit with rhinestones and tassels, making quite the first impression. She starts by asking the audience whether anyone has been heartbroken, grieving or otherwise bereft, indicating there is no need to say anything, just think it. Then, she interprets the answers by looking into our eyes, scanning the venue, row by row. Funny stuff.
McCracken relays her Irish mother’s advice about break ups … in an Irish accent. Enter Simon Leary in jeans, a belt, white t-shirt and black runners … to play the fall guy. With drinks in hand, the pair is on a first date in a crowded bar (cue background noise of people talking and brushing past them) and it is decidedly awkward. The conversation is stilted and mundane.
Self-employed, she refers in fine detail to her taxes, going through her receipts one by one. Only six months single, after six years with her partner, she maintains she and her ex are still best friends. Leary, who assumes the role of a bloke who works in Treasury, questions whether she is actually ready to move on. This is where competing theories about dating come to the fore.
Throughout the show, the backdrop to which is a seven by three matrix of vibrant electronic colour bars, McCracken references science. I speak of how her body reacts to break up – the chemicals it produces. Think serotonin and oxytocin. In one scene, she consults a doctor about her chest pain, convinced she has cardiomyopathy, and pushes for pills. The medico instantly identifies heartache. She also references a headspace meditation app.
McCracken talks about the various phases of getting over a relationship, which includes resignation and awe. She is convinced by her gay best friend to join him on an overseas trip and ends up exploring the Berlin club scene. Even trying to buy chipotle sauce results in deep seated memories of her ex.
As we near the end, we flashback to a break up over consecutive days between the couple referenced in the opening awkward date scene. Her desperation is apparent. Finally, we circle around to the guy from Treasury taking the role of McCracken’s quasi accountant and saving her money in the process. Forget the thought of a date. This is merely a business transaction.
Heartbreak Hotel is the work of an award-winning partnership of theatre makers from Aotearoa (New Zealand). Eleanor Bishop is a director and writer, while Karin McCracken is a writer and performer. Hence their company name EBKM. They have been working together since 2017 and they produce high quality, socially minded, innovative, contemporary theatre. The pair develops its work through extensive research and in consultation with audiences, social agencies and academics, while collaborating with designers.
The performances in Heartbreak Hotel are excellent. Both McCracken and Leary are assured, natural and relatable. They know how to tickle the funny bone. Laughter abounds. A lot is crammed into the 75-minute running time and it is most impactful. My conclusion – relationships are tough. Some run their course quickly. Others last longer, but still fall apart. Dealing with the emotional strain can be mighty challenging and there can be no time frame on that. Cloaking the fragility and vulnerability in humour, as EBKM has done here, is a delight to witness and embrace.
Heartbreak Hotel played at The Show Room at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of RISING last year and sold out. I saw it and enjoyed it then. I am no less enamoured second time around. It is on at Fairfax Studio at Arts Centre Melbourne until 19th July. Next, it moves to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat on 8th August, then Illawarra Performing Arts Centre between 12th and 15th August. You can also see it at HOTA on the Gold Coast between 19th and 22nd August, 2026. To find out more about EBKM and to buy tickets to Heartbreak Hotel, go to https://ebkm.co.nz
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Heartbreak Hotel (Arts Centre Melbourne) – theatre review
- Kaleidoscope (Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt) – theatre review
- Judith Lucy & Denise Scott Still Here (Arts Centre Melbourne) – 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.
