Sydney Reviews

Photos - Phile Deprez

13 young people explode onto the stage in a seemingly chaotic tableau. They scream, fight, spit water on each other, pash, draw on the floor, slap each other, swear, fall over, tip up the chairs and generally behave like animals. The chaos is an illusion, the carnal nature of the performance is not. A single siren signals the end of the scene and they pack up, clean up the stage and disappear. As they re-enter to perform the same scene again, a deepening awareness of the detail is made available to the audience. Characters emerge via sweet, odd and amusing soliloquies. The scene is run again without performers only their props, then again with all the performers in a tender erotic state, then again isolated, vulnerable and stoned or drunk, then again to heavy insistent house music. The layering technique allows the audience to greet the performers each time – as they in turn greet the audience each time anew and with a deepening intimacy. In this way director Alexander Devriendt explores the many facets of adolescence. By the end of the performance we feel as if we know each of them, their private struggles, hopes, fears and individual peccadilloes. We are in their presence a mere 56 minutes but with their endearing Belgian accents, funny English and comic timing, the empathy Devriendt creates between audience and performers is the triumph of this piece.

Devriendt is fascinated by the universality of puberty as a time of “waking up”. This transitional time is ephemeral and the latitude given to adolescents is, for him, a curious paradox; they are rude he says but know they will be forgiven, but only for a while. “The choices that one makes in puberty - perhaps the very first choices you ever make - are decisive for the rest of your life. You can become a criminal between the ages of 14-18, or a saint or full of anger. That makes puberty one of the biggest transformations of a human life. A transformation from nobody to somebody.”

This is a passionate performance that cleaned up the awards at the Edinburgh Festival, was highly acclaimed in Belgium and has toured widely. It conveys an essence of adolescence in a brutish, animalistic, unashamed way. But it also says much about Belgium and theatre as well as the audiences world wide that “consume” it. The uniformity of the performers and the audience - white, middle class and articulate is dificult to ignore. The irony is that the strength and coherence of this performance hangs on an implied cultural uniformity which is in itself a grave disservice to the many young people who don’t fit into this cultural/ideological picture. The chauvinistic title Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen echoes much of the chauvinism of adolescence. It cheekily lays claim to the entire adolescent experience, and in so doing poses the question…which is the real paradox - adolescence or this performance?


Sydney Theatre Company presents
Once And For All We’re Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen
Produced by Ontroerend Goed, Kopergietery and Richard Jordan Productions Ltd

Writers Joeri Smet & Alexander Devriendt
Director Alexander Devriendt

Venue: Wharf 2, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay
Dates: 14 to 29 August 2009
Opening Night: Friday 14 August at 8pm
Tickets: $30 - $50
Bookings: 9250 1777 or sydneytheatre.com.au