A Black Joy
Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne, 23-27 September 2009
A Black Joy is a dark comedy about an old overweight man by the name of John Candy. If he doesn't stop eating, his legs will get amputated. Set in the 21st Century, this deep performance covers issues such as murder, mental health, rape and relationships.
The relationship between the characters was really believable, particularly the gay cleaner and the relationship she had with the mother who had mental heath issues. It was extremely entertaining too, but I'd hate give anything else away.
Written by inspirational young playwright Declan Greene, A Black Joy is a very entertaining piece of theatre. When you walked in to take your seat, you saw a rather interesting set with quite an overweight man in the bed, surrounded by four chairs and a few lamps. It was somewhat intriguing!
If you're not a fan of colourful language, I would strongly suggest that you don't go and see this show. Some would say there was way too much of it, but it created much more believable characters and an entertaining performance.
If you have trouble with stairs, then this performance might not be what you're looking for. Fortyfivedownstairs has two sets of steep stairs, but when you make your way down there, the performance is really worth it so please don't let this put you off from going.
A Black Joy will keep surprising you right to the very end. From the murder of a once-famous woman to a heartbroken young man who has lost his girlfriend, the ending will have you intrigued and make you want to know more.
4 out of 5
This review originally appeared on Buzzcuts (new window), produced by Express Media for the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival.
