The Cold Record

The Cold Record begins as the audience meet at the Tivoli theatre. We are led to a nearby location on King Street where Chicago-born performer, Eli Weinberg, introduces himself and invites us (a small group) to join him for a beer. We take a seat and join him in his alcove – a boombox, a notebook, an iPad full of punk rock tunes, pre-selected (by us, the audience) for discussion. Eli randomly selects tracks and we take it in turns to describe our choice of song and why it means something to us. It’s an instant ice-breaker, with a fascinating selection of tunes – from Avril Lavigne to Rancid, Green Day to the Ramones – a non-purist collection of punk songs that represent a memory of teen rebellion or simple joy. One person confesses to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell as his funeral march of choice. It’s a warming way to start an internal dialogue about why music is important, and realise that, no matter what your background, your nationality, fashion tastes, job, or age, music holds an important place as a common anchor in all our lives.

After a short break, where conversations continue, Eli dons his headphones and gets into character. In a non-stop, 30-minute monologue, we meet a 12-year-old boy who is trying to develop a fever – first so he can bunk off school, go home and listen to his music, and second so he has had the chance to see his beloved school nurse. The piece plays like a short film – we can see all the characters and extras at the boy’s school, his home and suburb – even though it’s just Eli sitting before us with his boombox and notepad. With just the right amount of teen angst and redemption through life lessons, playwright Kirk Lynn has written a poetic and entertaining piece that keeps pace with amusing repetition and phrases that bring the scenario to life. Director Alexandra Bassiakou Shaw has reined in the performance to stick to a strict scheduled time, although it would be nice to see the performer relax and slow down to take stock of the emotional content of the piece towards the end.

Presented by Rude Mechs, a Texas-based ensemble that specialises in creating original theatrical productions that mix genres and use theatres as meeting places, Cold Record is festival-friendly in its simplicity and heart. This is a perfect date-night event for the Brisbane Festival – short and sharp, engaging and thought-provoking – plus, at performance end, you are thrown out onto the bustling King Street. The perfect opportunity to continue the musical discussion – and with the mix tape of treasured songs in your head as you leave, the theatrical experience continues long after the short session has ended.

Beth Keehn