Cherry review

06.02.22

Cherry is a very relatable story for today’s youth, it is a story about a young girl fighting, and resolving her own conflicts with the real world and her own sexuality. This one-night production flashed me back to 2010 when ‘Teenage Dream’ was first released, and back to my own little fan-girl era. I personally dreamed of being a Katy Kat back in the day and this show was a really nostalgic adventure, taking the audience alongside Sarah as she developed her love for Katy Perry, challenging real-life issues, and following her big dreams of becoming an actor. This production was hilarious, entertaining, and brought me – and no doubt the whole audience – back 11 years to ‘Teenage Dream’ and our youth.

This performance was executed in a way to remind and awaken the whole audience’s inner Katy Kat, while also talking about an internal battle we all have with our own identities. This certainly touched my and others’ hearts while watching Sarah come to terms with her bisexuality in a delicate and comedic way. Sarah Leigh Carroll, both wrote and performed this piece with talent and professionalism. To be able to execute such an impressive script to Carroll’s ability comes with experience and knowledge.

Besides Cherry being very realistic, Cherry was also heartbreaking, comedic, and illustrated the struggles that youth has with our identity in a hilarious and relatable way. This was a fantastic show because it showed me and definitely other young people in the audience that it is very normal to have these internal struggles with self-esteem and sexuality, while also showing us this unique experience that Sarah had that we all can relate to in some personal way. This production was expertly written, designed, and performed, and invited the audience to come on this rollercoaster with Sarah as we watched this young, 13-year-old girl grow into an established young woman who is finding herself in this present, difficult time, and not letting her Katy Perry obsession take over her entire world.

I cannot wait to see what else KXT produces with this level of talent and creativity. It was an absolute pleasure watching this creative masterpiece, Cherry.

Josephine Hill, 16, Gamiliraay (She/Her)

Dollhouse Productions and Panimo’s Cherry had a one-performance season at Kings Cross Theatre on 6 February. Read more about the show here.