Powder Room (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
The girls are out for a night on the tiles at a club, but not all is going according to plan. In fact, there is no shortage of sad and mad faces amidst the snorting and vomiting in the ladies’ toilets, where the action takes place. The four filthy cubicles are full. Tiff (Amelia Nemet) is inconsolable after she caught out her long-term boyfriend Josh (Xepheren Jaadwa) getting it on with another woman. A hilarious scene early on sums up the former’s precarious state.
Xan (Luce Wirthensohn), who is gay, has the hots for a confident lady who doesn’t know she exists. Jamie (Amelia Dunn) has her head in a bowl and in between chucks calls out Tiff to grow a pair, so to speak. Scarlett (Ez Kenworthy) is ropable that her best friend appears to have stood her up when they were going to do lines together. Wearing sunnies, Piper (Dezi Boyle) enters the fray a little later as someone new to the clubbing scene. She brings with her three golden tips, starting with the perfect environment to pee. Without angling for it, she finds herself drawn into Scarlett’s self-centred world.
Powder Room takes place over a single night as friendships are forged and broken, and homespun wisdom is imparted. It is the work of writers and directors Tuia Suter and Bella Moretto, marking their first collaborative theatrical production. The comedic drama is fun, entertaining and provocative. The personas are well crafted and the actors, individually and collectively, are forever putting their best foot forward to generate laughs. Perhaps it is their youth, but many of the characters don’t seem to have the tools to handle their respective circumstances.
Arguably, those that grow the most during the course of proceedings are Tiff and Xan. I particularly appreciated Amelia Nemet’s realisation of the former, but all the performers have their moments. The colourful, graffiti-strewn washroom is a triumphant setting, most appropriate to the narrative arc. Madison Stephens, Ash Donovan and Adam Smith are responsible. A walk on the wild side and a bit of a hoot, Powder Room has been well composed and executed. It should hold special appeal to younger Millennials and older members of Gen Z.
Nearly an hour, Powder Room is playing at The MC Showroom until 19th August, 2023.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Charade (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- The Wrong Horse (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- Untitled Three-Hander (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
I was lucky enough to see the show, as it was an almost sold out run and it was amazing! So nice to see representation of the non male, 20 something experience. So funny and light, I loved seeing this with my female family and friends. Absolutely relatable baby gay content – Keen to see what this duo does next.
I agree with you. Based on Powder Room, they have a promising future. I will be following them with interest.