[2015070] Destroyer of Worlds
Rock Surfers Theatre Company @ Tuxedo Cat – Cusack Theatre
7:15pm, Mon 23 Feb 2015
Caleb Lewis is responsible for one of my favourite bits of Fringe Theatre ever, and this semi-autobiographical piece doesn’t paint him in a good light at all. Destroyer of Worlds wraps the build up – and, more importantly, the breakdown – of Caleb’s relationship with Lauren, and juxtaposes it with the relationship between Little Boy and Hiroshima, which is intertwined with parallels between Haruo Nakajima (the actor in the original Godzilla suit) and J. Robert Oppenheimer (one of the fathers of the atomic bomb).
And, in case that wasn’t enough, Caleb Lewis himself sits among the audience, occasionally stopping the actors – Rebecca Mayo and Phil Spencer – mid-sentence, as he tries to deal with his dissatisfaction of their rendition of his life, and comes to terms with his own issues. Lewis’ harassment of the cast members is brilliantly done, and the best excuse I’ve seen in years to break the fourth wall… the manner in which he alternately attacks and cajoles Mayo to try and get her to evoke the spirit of Lauren is something special.
All the above may seem like a mishmash of incongruent ideas, but it’s actually some of the cleanest, clearest writing I’ve seen in a Fringe theatre piece for years. But it’s accented and clarified by clever use of projections, video overlays (including Lewis’ Mum passing judgement around his relationship with Lauren), and just brilliant direction.
Look – I was likely to love this show from the outset… hey, it’s Caleb Lewis, and Death in Bowengabbie is a major work for me. But the fact that I loved this performance so much, despite sitting there feeling absolutely terrified that I may experience a relationship breakdown like this someday? That must mean that Destroyer of Worlds is something very special.
(70) Destroyer of Worlds: Another cracking Caleb Lewis joint. Best shattering of the 4th wall in recent memory. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 23, 2015