“Jack Sharpe and the quest for the forbidden fruit”

We must start with the most notable thing about this show which is that it’s not at all, in even the slightest, what we were expecting. And so with that in mind, spoilers in this review are about as inevitable as typos. Tread lightly.

“Jack Sharpe and the quest for the forbidden fruit” a new theatre work presented at Brisbane’s Backdock Arts. The poster had our attention the second it came across our Facebook feeds. Massive acknowledgments to Adam Plant for creating such a fucking stellar poster. In general, the team did a fantastic job with their marketing over the weeks leading up the production, posting silly behind the scenes content that quickly coaxed audiences into selling out the season. Since watching the production we’ve since scrolled through their social media marketing again in an attempt to figure out if we missed something, a clue perhaps, but nope, the team kept the reality of this show a secret until your butt was in that comfy bus seat auditorium. Again, spoilers ahead, turn back before it’s too late.

The fabulous Ashlynn Parigi kicked off the show with a cheeky little prologue, providing the audience with some what to expects and trigger warnings. She cleverly and charismatically poked fun at the troupes of the action adventure film genre we audiences constantly consume. The opening led into what started as a silly little dance number of “A Guy is a Guy” by Dorris Day, performed by Ashlynn and costar Jaycob Beven-Delaney. As the pair smiled and danced their way through the un-consensual ass slapping, the audience started to shift in their seats realising, hey hang on a second…

Now we moved into our story, where Eli Bunyoung enters as our “hero”, 1950’s university professor Jack Sharpe. Jaycob presents himself as the scheming foot enthusiast and the stories “villain”, Doctor Hayes Invictus. Essentially they’re a pair of stereotypical action film MEN, and the duo delivered the troupe characters as expected, with the perfect amount of irony and self-ridicule.

The performers incorporated such ridiculously fun moments into this show, leaning especially into the comedy of the fact they were working with so little. Moments such as Jaycob swinging from the back of two seats as though he was trailing from the back of a plane really showcased the groups creativity and ability to lean cleverly into the audiences familiarity with stereotypes. The mortal combat style takedown of the skeleton was also a fantastically stupid moment that reminded us the magic of fun theatre. We loved watching these three work together on slapstick moments like this - they are quite a fantastic team with awesome skills in stage combat.

As the quest progressed, time jumped forward 10 years at a time. These time jumps mostly impacted the female role of Penelope, who just like woman of our reality, became more empowered (well… a bit) as the years went on. Actress Ashlynn did an unbelievably phenomenal job performing the many dimensions of Penelope, who got knocked around (both emotionally and physically) quite constantly throughout this show. From throwing her vagina to which ever man rescued her next, to getting her Lara Croft on 1 V 1 with a Cherub possessed Invictus, Penelope showcased an average day of womanhood. Ashlynn is such a fantastic talent, who always has an unmissable look in her eye adding layers of depth to any role she is playing, and this was really on display in this production.

There was a point in the show where we both started to feel that we had no idea what was going on, especially as the time jumps threw the storyline around. However, by the end of the show, it was like all that was unclear fell into place, and the reasoning behind the shows structure came to light. Also we needed to realise we shouldn’t be looking for linear story telling. Our bad.

The threesome (haha threesome) over all delivered a much welcome commentary on the role women in the entertainment industry are forced to play, highlighting how far the portrayal of women on our screens has come while also reminding us of how far we still have to go. Eli closes the show with a powerful monologue where he takes on the persona of ‘that one white guy who starts a podcast’, showcasing the rise of the ALPHA bro crusade against anything and everything they find woke in Hollywood or in other terms, any piece of media that passes the Bechdel test. Audiences sat their cringing, as Eli reminded us that no matter how far we come, there are so many out there holding us back with their patriarchally clouded views, and a video camera.

Overall, “ Jack Sharpe” was as fun as it was uncomfortable (in the best way), providing both endless laughs and something to really think about. In our opinion the show was a massive triumph for the young theatre makers. We wish we could tell you to go catch a performance, but sadly their season has come to an end, however we do hope to see it revived very soon (hopefully with a full soundtrack by the unbelievably skilled BEE-BEE RIOT). Congratulations team!