She-Nanigans

Chido Mwat came to Australia from Zimbabwe in 2015 to study medicine. She’s now a junior doctor with Western Health.  But what happened on the way through – from then to now?  Studying, of course, but part-time jobs and – because she knew there were stories to tell – learning improv, sketch comedy and film making.  But there were also the doubts, fears, racist discrimination, stupid questions, and assumptions suffered by many immigrants.

So, what Chido Mwat has done is to put all that on stage, externalising her thoughts, doubts, and fears, and turning bad experiences into larger-than-life comedy sketches, songs, and dance numbers.  Ashleigh McFarland and Sunanda Sachatrakul – in the same costumes as Chido (design by Clare E Hampson) – play her contending thoughts – as well as such nightmare figures as Gameshow hosts and celebrity interviewers.  Pearl Lin Jin in black body suit and cat’s ears plays a Kitty Cat – and a teapot. 

This approach to Chido’s story is bold and imaginative in intention, but unfortunately not so great in realisation.  It’s all a bit rough around the edges. The sketches, while often clever, seem random – just one thing after another.  The teapot lost me completely.  Director Hayley Tantau has problems with scene transitions and black outs that go on too long.  Levels and style of performance are inconsistent – although everyone is undoubtedly enthusiastic.  Ashleigh McFarland conveys a lot with her expressive face and gets laughs, but Sunanda Sachatrakul goes too loud and over the top too often. Pearl Lin Jin is sweet but sometimes seems so tentative that I found myself feeling anxious for her. There are glitches in the pre-recorded songs and in the cast’s miming of them. The dance numbers (choreography by Valerie Hex & Chido Mwat) are funny but look ragged.

Maybe some of these flaws – as I see them – are intentional. But, overall, the show, for whatever reason, looks and feels roughly or arbitrarily assembled and under-rehearsed.  Maybe that’s due to lockdowns, or the cast and creatives just finding the time to mount the show. An indulgent audience went along with the good intentions and the appealing cast as people, but She-Nanigans could be so much better.

It’s Chido Mwat’s story and she is the star of the show.  Frankly, I’d really prefer it if she was the show – all of it, without help. I’ve no doubt that with her ironic storytelling, her smile, her very individual charm and direct immediate contact with the audience, she could carry 50 to 60 minutes all by herself. Instead, she’s elected to tell her story via other means – larger than life sketch comedy, possibly one of the hardest things to do in theatre.

Michael Brindley