Everything But The Kitchen Sink Festival Review

10.05.22

Everything But The Kitchen Sink means ‘almost everything that one can think of’ but I’ll tell you one thing for sure; walking into Flight Path Theatre for the EBTKS Festival I definitely did not think I’d be brought on stage and given a glass of wine! Well.. that’s the beauty of live theatre.

On the night that I went to see this festival, I was graced with the three performances; A Body Is All That Remains, Rampage, and the one I was most excited for (having heard about it’s one night run in Panimo Pandemonium) – Cherry.

Starting with A Body Is All That Remains, performed by Lungol Wekina. This piece was beautifully simple yet poignant. An odyssey told through poetry and prose where Lungol talks about the history of his ancestors and his slow awakenings to these realities. This reality of what he calls ‘The Project’, the erasure of First Nation culture and memories to replace them with our own version. One of the most poignant lines for me was “you kill our gods and on their graves build churches”. Lungol’s writing is brilliantly haunting and the simplistic staging and delivery allow these words to sink in. The lighting and sound design should be commended, which were simple yet effective.

Moving on to Rampage: A Rage Journey Through Women, performed by Mel Ree. This show itself I would describe as ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ but in the best way possible. From a rage rampage to beautiful poetry, balloon thrusting, and the opportunity to sit and have a glass of wine with Mel herself, this show has it all. This piece doesn’t follow a usual narrative structure and honestly, that’s what’s so refreshing about it. Mel’s continuous direct address to the audience makes you feel like her friend. It’s a very uplifting show, and in my opinion, Mel Ree is one to watch – a genuinely authentic human who has much to say and should be given the platform to say it.

Finally, Cherry performed by Sarah Carroll. I have been waiting to see this show for far too long! Missing out on the original run and having had tickets to Carroll’s recent run that was pulled down (pesky COVID), I was beyond excited when I saw this would be on at the EBTKSF. Honestly… IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! This is a show that I’m sure is only at the beginning of its journey because it deserves to be seen by all. The autobiographical story follows young Sarah (13) an awkward, lonely, loveable teen who one morning stumbles across Katy Perry’s RAGE performance and her obsession begins. It’s a heartwarming story about finding yourself through the use of Katy Perry as a bit of a spirit God, let’s say. The show itself is laugh-out-loud hilarious with high energy and amazing lip-syncing numbers which will have you clapping and singing along. Carroll herself is charming and charismatic but also beautifully vulnerable which makes for an all-around nuanced performance. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of this show or Carroll, and I’m excited to see what is next on the horizon for Cherry.

4 Stars 

Tahlia, 21 (She/Her) 

 Everything But The Kitchen Sink Festival played at Flightpath Theatre from the 10th to the 14th May 2022.