A feat of technical mastery, the writing and production of Motion Sickness are equally as impressive as the passion and perseverance with which its creative team execute it.
Presented by Melbourne’s a2 Company, Motion Sickness — described as "an existential crisis at the rave" — is a mix of theatre, electronic music, dance and visual projections.
It dwells on the three leading theories of the end of the world, along with some wry commentary on the current sociopolitical landscape.
Because Motion Sickness delivers so much sensory stimulation all at once, I suspect the nuance of its subject matter perhaps went in one ear and out the other for most of the audience — not that that’s the sole point.
Opening night was packed, with almost every seat filled.
It began with an impassioned and increasingly chaotic monologue — canvassing topics from artificial intelligence and seabed fibreoptic cables to sending Dan Carter to Mars and reading your landlord’s mail.
The projections largely comprised strings of rapidly unfolding text, cast upon two walls and a ring of curtains in the centre of the room.
The main performer, dressed all in white — like some futuristic pastor preaching to the audience — was also projected upon themselves.
Moments where the visual, spoken and physical elements were perfectly synchronised made Motion Sickness feel particularly rewarding.
The show’s music, from the debut EDM album of one of the show’s creators, was highly enjoyable too.
Motion Sickness culminates in a dance about the cycle of life that leaves the performers all short of breath by the end of it.
You have likely not seen anything quite like this before and, for $20-$30, doing so is a no-brainer.
The final performance is tonight at 6.30pm.
Review by Tim Scott
