In good conscience, I can’t say I could recommend this play to … well, anyone. Within minutes, I was wishing I was anywhere else other than in Theatre Works watching Nihilistic Optimism On Trampolines. Seeing workers at a trampolining facility hooking up, bonding, squabbling and bored out of their tiny minds hardly seemed like the most engaging of entertainment.
The work picked up somewhat after one of their number began composing a yarn involving the emergence of a monster. In fact, there was a competition amongst the staff to construct a compelling ghost story, so some of them carried around notebooks. A couple took it seriously, but only one completed the task. She was Mary Shelley, the one and the same 18-year-old who wrote Frankenstein.
Writer and director Kasey Barratt has repositioned her in the present day and told her tale as she is working at a trampoline park. I kid you not. She also happens to be in a clandestine relationship with fellow employee Percy Shelley, who, much to Mary’s chagrin, is reluctant to come clean they are a couple.
By way of a homage, all seven cast members are given the names of people Mary Shelley interacted with in the early 1800s. Think Lord Byron, Claire Clairmont, John Polidori and more. To add to the bizarre nature of this production, while the trampoline workers are doing their thing, which includes cleaning up vomit, a live band accompanies them.
While there is nothing wrong with the music (representing existential dread), when it is played over dialogue, which it often is, there is a major problem. That is when you can’t hear what is being said. Surely, music is meant to enhance a theatrical work, not consume it, but maybe I am just being old fashioned.
As the piece develops on a bland two-tier set, we do get to meet the misshapen form that Mary brought to life in her prose. Pilloried, the creature is one lonely figure, who longs for a soul mate. And just who might that be? No prizes for guessing. Nihilistic Optimism On Trampolines is a walk on the wild side and, frankly, at 70 plus minutes feels like an endurance test.
To me, it is a bridge too far, that in large measure drove me bonkers. But who am I to tell you to rearrange your sock drawer instead? Bounce on down to Theatre Works, if you like, where it is playing until 6th December, 2025.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Love and Information (Theatre Works) – theatre review
- Frankenstein (shake & stir) – theatre review
- The Anarchy (1138-53) at Theatre Works – 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.