Melbourne Fringe: SIRENS

“F**CK ME HARDER DADDY!” moans a lone figure emerging on a dimly lit stage. Appearing dishevelled, we look at the epitome of Aussie beachside youth culture. Dressed in bright blue Billabong boardshorts, a white skin-tight singlet, bare feet and donning an iconic mullet, Eden is a 22-year-old, foul-mouth, angst-ridden, young man, who lives in a rurally isolated town with his all-too-familiar hard-exterior father and his complicated yet sensitive mother. Welcome to Melbourne Fringe’s SIRENS. 

Benjamin Nichols – one of SIRENS’ playwrights – plays a bored, aimless, angry Eden, a young man consumed by the attention he seeks from older men on the internet. One night Eden meets David, a drag queen forced home to care for his dying father, and suddenly his world makes sense. 

Following their multi-Green Room Award-winning collaboration on Kerosene, SIRENS is a new performance created by up-and-coming artist, writer and performers Benjamin Nichol and Izabella Yena. Throughout the demanding 60-minute solo performance, Nichols nimbly shapeshifts and morphs into a range of distinct characters from Eden’s life. His movements and physicality are mesmerizing and his impressive vocal versatility kept the audience enthralled from start to finish. 

At times, dark and comedic, human and touching, SIRENS presents a complex psychological study into obsession and intimacy showcasing various forms of love, the unpredictability of the queer experience and what we owe the people and places that ‘make us’. 

Director Liv Satchell, Sound Designer Connor Ross and Lighting Designer Harrie Hogan flex their innovation and creativity with meticulous light and soundscapes, capturing the mood and vibe of the performance/characters so well. 

Performed in Melbourne’s Fringe Festival Hub: Trades Hall – Meeting Room, SIRENS leaves an indelible mark on all who witness this piece of work, it simply cannot be missed! 

SIRENS
On stage till Sunday 23 October 2022
Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street, Carlton, 3053
melbournefringe.com.au/event/sirens