Early in this production the character says words to the effect: “As a woman, you can be either strong or vulnerable. You can’t be both.”
And then we’re gifted a performance that is both strong and vulnerable: strong in that Kym Vercoe is an extraordinary actor whose vocal and physical work is of the highest quality; vulnerable in that we’re given a heartbreaking insight into the challenges facing a woman who has newly become a mother.
Kym Vercoe, photo by Phil Erbacher
Part of Invisible Circus, a festival of work by female theatre practitioners currently at KXT, Sunny Grace’s The Angelica Complex is one of the voices we need if our theatrical culture can claim to be truly diverse. (Though the fact I can use the word ‘diverse’ to label a work that explores such fundamentals of human existence as birth and breastfeeding suggests we might have a way to go. I blame society, not myself; in polite company, that’s always best.)
This is a powerful tale presented with both humour and pathos. Director Priscilla Jackman uses the traverse stage to full effect. Sometimes it’s a theatrical space for an individual woman’s intimate sharing of her joys and desperate challenges. At other times it becomes a symbol of a social space offering no escape from the gaze that sees only the role and never the person. Lucia May’s live video feed effectively captures the tension of a particular woman put on the spot, while Naomi Livingston’s vocals beautifully evoke the forces that tug at the boundaries of individuality.
Paul Gilchrist
The Angelica Complex
Priscilla Jackman (Co-creator & director)
Sunny Grace (Co-creator & writer)
Kings Cross Theatre
Saturday 12th November, Tuesday 15th November,Friday 18th November, Thursday 24th November and Sunday 27th November
As part of Invisible Circus. Full program and tix here
Theatre Red 
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