‘Nothing Special‘ brilliantly walks the fine line between madness and truth telling. Simone French and Tom Halls, creators of the show, have mastered the push-pull of confusion and clarity, taking the audience on a mad journey.
The thought that might most occur to an audience member throughout the performance of ‘Nothing Special’ may well be ‘what on earth is going on here!?’ No sooner would they have had the thought than somehow the absurd scene before them transforms into something that makes a crazy kind of sense in the scheme of the show.
Following the protagonist from conception to death through the undulations of her existence, introducing the colourful and influential characters in her life, the show is a confronting reality check in how thoroughly inconsequential our existence is. In the scheme of the universe, we are nothing special, even if we and those we surround ourselves with think we are.
‘Nothing Special’ is a spectacle of immersive theatre featuring skilled multidisciplinary artists Simone French, Tom Halls, and Adam Ibrahim who dance, sing and act their way through an exploration of the dark side of being ‘talented’. Who better than they to make such a statement? They are themselves living examples of their own subject matter.
The absurdity of the show allowed the audience to laugh, and laugh, and laugh, despite the darkness and criticism meted out on the the fame-making machine, a process that so many go through to become great, a star, successful as an artist, only to be spat out at the other end, unfulfilled. ‘Nothing Special’ is absurd, brilliant, and entertaining.
– Emmanuella
Emmanuella Grace is Founder of Find Your Voice Australia. She has worked and performed internationally for over a decade as a singer and voice and performance coach.
‘Nothing Special’ runs until 30 September 2016 at the Sokol Melbourne. Purchase tickets now.
For more Melbourne Fringe 2016, check out our guide and all our reviews.
