Reviewed on Wednesday May 18Red Stitch Theatre, St. Kilda
For the second time within a week, I had the pleasure of reviewing a brand-new world premiere.
It is both exciting and terrifying to critique something fresh out of the gate, without any previous record of production or performance history attached. Fortunately, Morgan Rose isn’t an unfamiliar name to me. I covered her play, desert, 6:29pm for Red Stitch Theatre in 2017. A clever snapshot of a family in flux, my expectations for the author’s latest piece were very high indeed.
In development before and during the pandemic, part of Rose’s research was to apply and interview for hospitality work. Some of her more telling takeaways (no pun intended) from the experience, are featured in this play.
At 110 minutes in length, Fast Food details a typical day in the life at a restaurant chain franchise. What starts as nothing out of the ordinary, quickly grabs hold of our collective attention. Set in real time, Rose’s play packs a great deal of punch into this single act, existential drama.
Capturing workplace interactions in their glorious shades of grey is nothing new. Films such as 9 to 5 (1980), Clerks (1994), Clockwatchers (1997), Office Space (1999), The Good Girl (2002), or television programs like The Office (2001) and Party Down (2009), highlight blue or white collared professions with humour and pathos in equal measure.
For many people like myself growing up, flipping burgers meant quick cash with minimal emotional investment. The prime domain of ambitious teenagers, service industry employment helped provide support to further education or the stepping-stones necessary to a brighter economic future.
That we spend most of our waking lives with fellow work colleagues, gives Fast Food real bite. Rose explores this political minefield with a solid handful of relatable themes from the petty hierarchies, niggling tensions, career ambition, blatant ageism, suspect training, and selling out.
In this instance, her crew of five are Casey Filips (as Leonard), Kevin Hofbauer (as Troy), Isha Menon (as G), Chi Nguyen (as River), and Ella Caldwell (as Rosemary). Caldwell, it should be noted, shares dramaturgy duties with Tom Healey.
As the story unwinds, Rose uncovers the hopes and dreams of each character, and what makes them tick. Stepping out of the action at key points throughout the play, whether as individuals or as a group, this quintet is allowed numerous chances to shine in the spotlight. Pitched towards Rose’s own generation, Fast Food also draws heavily on reality television and video game addiction. In essence, the cast become her lab rats.
Very much an ensemble experience, focussed direction (from Bridget Balodis) and assistant direction (from Kevin Hojerslev) mean that Fast Food ebbs and flows like a tightly choreographed trust exercise. That each actor communicates age-appropriate dialogue, makes the overall journey even more telling.
Red Stitch is an extraordinary space. Thanks to its tiered seating, audience members are always guaranteed close-proximity to the action. Very much an experience where we are at one with the events on stage, in Fast Food this is even more so. Like voyeurs to a bizarre reality tv or game show experiment, the stakes are high.
Time and again I am impressed by any creative crew and how they tackle and dress this intimate space. Having seen a solid handful of shows here, Red Stich never ceases to amaze me. Whether it becomes a grubby locker room (as in Jumpers For Goalposts), a post-apocalyptic desert (The Honey Bees) or a festive family kitchen (Design For Living), the team always goes above and beyond to realise an exceptional theatrical experience.
Sophie Woodard (Set & Costume Designer), Giovanna Yate Gonzalez (Lighting Designer), Danni Esposito (Sound Designer), Katie Sfetkidis (Lighting Design Mentor), and Max Bowyer (Assistant Set/Costume Designer) work as one to bring Rose’s hyper-realistic vision to life. You truly sense this is a branded generic workspace, transplanted from any Australian suburb and placed front and centre on the Red Stitch stage.
Strong support by Rain Okpamen (Stage Manager) and Bowyer (Assistant Stage Manager) makes for a fluid and multi-faceted journey.
With more layers than a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Rose’s latest work is No Exit (by Jean-Paul Sartre) or Waiting For Godot (by Samuel Beckett) meeting television’s Squid Game.
Fast Food plays until Sunday June 5.