A sense of identity comes from seeing our own culture and place in the world reflected back to us through story telling, and this is what the Legacy Project has dished up for five years. The stories are experimental, quirky and raw, and they give a voice to a young queer generation.
Collectively titled Live Out Loud, this year a crop of six plays of 15 minutes a piece were on offer — a theatrical sampler, if you like, exploring human dynamics and sexuality.
Three was a story quite literally about a trio of attractive young men working out how to handle a ménage à trois while camping out at a beach. It was a good premise, and delivered some funny lines but I detected awkwardness between the cast members, and one actor seemed to mumble his lines. I was left with the impression that this play was not quite ready.
Vision of Desire was a funny and futuristic exploration of a 29-year-old man’s desperate search for a soul mate before his government-mandated use by date kicks in on his 30th birthday. A quirky story, coupled with good performances and a touch of well-timed slapstick made this play a delight to watch.
In Clean Up in Aisle 3 two young women explain how their ill-fated romance first blossomed and then fell apart. This was a poignant story which held my attention, but it could have been truly inspiring if both actors had projected a little more. At times, their dialogue was almost inaudible and that diminished the play’s impact.
Whole gave us an interesting take on loneliness and doubt and the elaborate dance two men can perform before actually connecting. This story was well performed by two good actors and proved to be quite thought-provoking.
On the Experience of People whose Life is Exactly Mine was the rawest of all the stories. A single actor delivered a monologue about (as it said in the programme) ‘something difficult to articulate’. This could have been the star show of the night, but its twisted and confusing dialogue meant whatever message was being conveyed got lost in the telling. This is no reflection on the actor delivering the lines – Kurt Utai – Laurenson gave a spirited and commanding performance. Perhaps the play was experimental, and with a bit of honing it could come back as a truly dynamic piece of theatre.
Mud Maids was a fun romp about two women trying to find out who it was that infected one of them with HPV. Cleverly written and superbly performed Mud Maids was my favourite show of the night.
I won’t individually name them, but most of the cast of these plays gave excellent performances. Some of them are gay and some straight. Virtually all of them were very attractive and while that can be pleasant on the eye, I wonder what it tells us about diversity?
Despite that question and one or two quibbles, the Legacy shows are an important part of the Pride calendar and an important part of queer story-telling.
Thursday, Feb 8, 2018 – Friday, Feb 16, 2018
Q Theatre – Loft, Auckland
Ticket price:
$18 – $20 (booking fees apply
