{"id":166431,"date":"2025-06-30T09:54:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T23:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=166431"},"modified":"2025-06-30T10:31:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T00:31:56","slug":"super-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/super-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Super (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre) – theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"

I went to watch this play, like I do all others, without knowing anything other than its title. I never read the blurb on the website about what I am heading into, nor the program, which sometimes has playwright and director\u2019s notes. In fact, Super\u2019s program does contain playwright Emilie Collyer\u2019s back story, which indicates that she conceptualised the work in 2017.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photos by Cameron Grant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the time, she had just finished a year of treatment for breast cancer. Her initial conceit was that of a woman attending a medical facility because she can\u2019t stop crying. She meets another female who believes she has superpowers. So, there it is, the kernel of an idea about the vulnerability of our bodies. I only read that after seeing the show and I was deeply moved.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, I will still give you my instant reaction to what I saw on stage. Overtly humorous and deliberately exaggerated, I thought Super was drawn out, errant nonsense: in short, just plain silly and lacking substance. I say that as someone who is a big fan of much of the work Red Stitch chooses to stage, but unquestionably this was the one I disliked the most. That has to do with the drivel that constitutes much of the script, which was selected as part of Red Stitch\u2019s INK program that helps develop new writers. On the Red Stitch website, it indicates that the play was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier\u2019s Drama Award. My only question is why?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nel (Laila Thanker) and Phoenix (Lucy Ansell) are the only members of an exclusive club, which aims to make the world a better place. They are living, breathing superheroes. Nel sees herself as a top administrator, while Phoenix is very physically active and big believer in charitable causes. A flyer they put out to try to attract additional members piques the interest of the self-centred and popular chef on a TV cooking show, Rae (Caroline Lee). Although she and Phoenix clash, Rae becomes the third members of the group.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rae pitches the idea of a game show centred around contestants who buy into the better world view concept to a rival TV network than the one she has been on. It signs them up and, suddenly, all three ladies are thrust into the public eye. While Phoenix and Rae battle their own demons, Nel gets caught up in a materialistic agenda, underscored by the adage \u201cprofit at any cost\u201d. Nel uses technology to assert unbridled control, before her house of cards has its day of reckoning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

First to the positives then. Romanie Harper has excelled with her set (striking, Swiss cheese holey and white) and \u201cout there\u201d, vivid costume design. Natalia Velasco Moreno provides most attractive mood lighting, while the piece features dramatic music stings by sound designer Beau Esposito. The cast basks in realising the writer\u2019s inflated personas, revelling in the theatricality associated with Nel, Phoenix and Rae. They pout, cry, laugh and pontificate as they object, argue, cajole and make up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But all of that is not enough to cover up verbiage that didn\u2019t really go anywhere and was repetitive. The writing needed tightening and the plotting more development, which I regard as the domain of not just the writer, but the dramaturg and director Emma Valente. Yes, there were a few funny and surprising moments, such as when heads appeared in different holes and the appearance of a blow-up prop, but that wasn\u2019t enough. Notwithstanding the fact that I understand that the real superpower is friendship, I was well and truly over Super before it ended.<\/p>\n

It is on at Red Stitch Actors\u2019 Theatre until 6th July, 2025.<\/p>\n

Alex First<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I went to watch this play, like I do all others, without knowing anything other than its title. I never read the blurb on the website about what I am heading into, nor the program, which sometimes has playwright and director\u2019s notes. 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If Iphigenia in Splott is tough to watch because of the material it covers, just imagine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":161833,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/your-name-means-dream-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":166431,"position":3},"title":"Your Name Means Dream (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"November 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Just how far can artificial intelligence take us? Can it deliver genuine companionship and more for the lonely, elderly and ailing? Those questions are answered in the resounding affirmative by playwright Jose Rivera in his dramatic and comedic work Your Name Means Dream. Aislin (Caroline Lee), of Polish Irish extraction\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112553,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/single-ladies-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":166431,"position":4},"title":"Single Ladies (Red Stitch Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"February 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As I see it, Single Ladies is a variant of a shaggy dog story ... in more ways than one.\u00a0This world premiere production marks the return in this COVID-19 era of Red Stitch Theatre.\u00a0Set in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, three disparate women with issues connect over a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":141852,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-amateurs-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":166431,"position":5},"title":"The Amateurs (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"July 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most bizarre plays I have seen, The Amateurs is a tragicomedy from 2015 American Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison. This is its Australian premiere.\u00a0While I can\u2019t claim to have liked it, to say it is unusual is an understatement. A troupe of mismatched mediaeval players make their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_the_amateurs_154-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_the_amateurs_154-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_the_amateurs_154-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_the_amateurs_154-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}