Small and Cute Oh No

Squid Vicious’ Small and Cute Oh No is a rather dark comedy set at Christmas time in the staff break room at a shopping mall.

Andrew Sutherland has assembled an exceptional cast who work together with expertise, creating three beautifully broken characters (and a smattering of support roles). An examination of the weird, wonderful and complex people you meet in retail, it is an interesting look at understanding each other…and not.

Excellent performances from the trio, with Caitlin Beresford-Ord excellent as a brash, bold mall Santa who loves her job and has a multitude of layers. Ming Yang Lim brings excellent facial expressions to Peter, a university student dealing with pressure from disapproving Singaporean parents, and who has a habit of picking up random men online for sex. Louis Spencer gives depth to Assistant Manager Bob - in a lively performance.

Great use of colour in the design, which features AV by Michelle Aitken, Set and Costume Design by Eilish Campbell and Lighting Design by Jasmine Lifford. Well created sound design and composition from Jess Nyanda Moyle supports the show well.

Interesting and intriguing storytelling that I found quite compelling, although I feel it fair to say that some audience members found it confusing and could not follow the narrative and its twists.

Quirky, different and dark - this odd little tale has much to say - and excellent acting performances make it well worth watching.

Kimberley Shaw