Rama Nicholas has a cult following among the cognoscenti at TPO, and you can add me to the list of adoring fans. Rama returns with her titillating multi-character romance erotica feel-good show The Lucky Ones to Fringe. It is an superb hour of storytelling, stage presence and witty writing.
Rama is Carmen Walters, a small town writer of romance erotica — but not the vanilla kind. It’s a bit left of centre, as she is down with love and romance, but a bit iffy on the heteronormative binary-gender fare that is dished out.
What follows is a one-woman reenactment of two of her novels. The Pink Pearl is an 1800s ye olden time Victorian account of Lady Penelope, and a love quadrangle featuring seamen, semen, mermen and steamy non-heteronormative interspecies sex. The Big Black Hole is a sci-fi (a favourite genre of her deceased husband Henry) romp, with space pirates, multi-armed aliens and a future where everyone is happily polypansexual.
The Lucky Ones succeeds on so many levels – it’s the type of show that has you giggling, if not laughing out loud throughout. Heck, I’m smiling the next day remembering the so many euphemisms for lovemaking and seafood Rama can come up with. Except for the very prudish (and why would you be going to Fringe if you are), this is a exquisite hour of storytelling that ends up as a surprising paean to love, in whatever form it takes.
– Christian
Christian G. is an international man of mystery; lover of books, cats and the performing arts; moonlighting as a finance professional by day.
Rama Nicholas in The Lucky Ones runs 16-30 September 2017 at the Arts House, North Melbourne. Buy tickets now. The venue is accessible.
