The best way to describe Madonna Arms is perhaps as a feminist sci-fi comedy sketch show. The production never hesitates with its various sequences charged with a distinctly saucy sense of humour. Most strikingly, Madonna Arms‘s wackiness and high-octane antics results makes the show a highly entertaining piece of theatre.
Performers Zoey Dawson, Anna McCarthy and Ella Harvey don trim black bodysuits and boots — an outfit reminiscent of a military uniform while simultaneously placing a bold emphasis on the female body. The trio display some crude humour through the use of a movie trailer, a celebrity Q&A session and workout videos. The production’s many small sketches are highly enjoyable, but also feel very disjointed.
Madonna Arms‘s plotless meandering could perhaps fall under a larger thematic concern of sexism, but it produces no strong, single message. At one point, the trio include lines that are suggestive of bitchy office gossip while performing synchronised dance moves and aggressively reciting chants. The entire production is also laden with sexual imagery and foul language (‘Are you a cumlicker?’, ‘Eat my pussy’ etc.), but its teasing tone becomes more and more wearing as the show progresses. From a feminist lens, however, it is unfortunate that the abundance of sexual imagery in Madonna Arms is still told through a masculine voice. The women adopt chiefly male-orientated ‘dick jokes’ when addressing the issue of sexuality, without acknowledging that female sexuality is something else entirely. On the other hand, this could be seen as tool of empowerment: ‘Girls can make dick jokes too!’
Flanked by two television sets and a large screen above the stage, Madonna Arms is fundamentally appropriate for the electronic age. The monologues are directed towards a camera which zooms in on their faces. Giant green screens are on display in the background as the performers are transported from a distant space age to a tropical rainforest. The show heavily relies on its visual effects, and video designers Romanie Harper and Andre Vanderwert gives the production its distinctive style. Lighting designer Katie Sfetkidis and operator Adrien Black enhance the riveting stylistic elements of the show too. All in all, Madonna Arms is what television in the future would probably be like, but with a zany, 80s twist.
In the latter half of Madonna Arms, the trio don drag king attire to play businessmen dealing with an alien invasion. By far the longest and most coherent segment of the show, the men boast, fight, swear and act real tough. They recite cliché lines from Die Hard and are the most incompetent heroes on the brink of an apocalypse. When one of the performers strips to her original black bodysuit and is revealed to be an alien, it becomes clear that the female form is still portrayed as the ‘other’. This portion of the show is certainly laden with heavy satire, but it proves to be more bizarre than thought-provoking.
Madonna Arms works best with its entertaining schticks, and its raw energy and confronting tone. Its obscene humour can feel tiresome at times, but its dynamic voice and strong visual design is undoubtedly compelling.
Rating: 3½ stars out of 5
Madonna Arms
Written by Zoey Dawson, Anna McCarthy & Allison Wiltshire
Director: Allison Wiltshire
Performers: Zoey Dawson, Anna McCarthy & Ella Harvey
Producer: Bek Berger
Sound and Composition: Claudio Tocco
Set and Costume: Romanie Harper
Lighting: Katie Sfetkidis
Video Design: Romanie Harper & Andre Vanderwert
Stage Manager: Ainsley Kerr
Assistant Stage Managers: Leticia Brennan-Steers & Debbie Yew
Sound Operator: Milly Levakis-Lucas
Lighting Operator: Adrien Black
Additional vocals by Marrianne Pierce
Images: Theresa Harrison
Arts House – Meat Market, Blackwood St North Melbourne
Next Wave Festival
www.nextwave.org.au
1 – 4, 7 -11 May
