Review: 4 MINUTES 12 SECONDS Is Must-See Contemporary Commentary at Old Fitz Theatre

4 Minutes 12 Seconds is THE show you need to see, and one of the best pieces of theatre we've reviewed this year. Take your kids, your partner, your friends, your siblings. Theatre as an art form is known for entertainment, but the best theatre is made to challenge, to comment and to contribute to transitions of culture. This production by Outhouse Theatre Co at Old Fitz, is precisely that: gripping, contemporary and powerful. Zooming on the parents of a promising young man caught in the centre of a online video scandal, audiences face questions about parenthood, pornography, consent, domestic discord, and the obsession of the modern generation to share. A five-star, fierce piece of theatre.

Di and David seem to be the parents we all want to be: funny, intimate and think the world of their son Jack. A video has emerged of Jack and his ex-girlfriend Cara and questions are being raised about his character, her motives, and their parenting. Danielle King is fantastic, a consummate professional, and impossible to keep your eyes off as her initial position of power and understanding within her home unravels. Jeremy Waters matches her moment for moment, the two of them a compelling performing pair. Waters' makes for great comedy and impact when speaking, but keeping one eye on him throughout deepens the experience; his grasp of character is brilliant.

At first, it appears that James Fritz's text has been almost dismissive of the character of Cara, and the reigns kept tight on Kate Cheel's performance. However, between Cara and Jack's best friend Nick, played by Felix Johnson, we grow to appreciate that the stories of the young people are not for our judgement here, but the response of the public to these traumatic and all-too-frequent dramas. In this way, these characters serve to reflect the prejudices and misinterpretations the public feel it is their right to make, and in this way their performances are razor-sharp and strong.

Outhouse Theatre Company has built itself on sharing stories between Australia and New York, the latter where it was first based, and the former where it is now, addressing modern issues of emotion as well as intellect. Craig Baldwin's direction speaks to that quality of production and performer choice that we don't always see in Australian theatre. This is including the accent work to pivot the action around the area of Croydon in England. Keeping an episodic nature through use of lighting design by Christopher Page, and with Hugh O'Connor's reference of set to Black Mirror, the "whole story" feels like live-clickbait. The set itself begs questions of how the video impacts a far broader community than the initial private users. Baldwin ought to be commended for creating a dynamic where the chemistry between King and Waters sweeps from rolling-in-the-aisles to edge-of-your-seat with piercing precision.

Get your tickets here. Seriously it ends in a week get a ticket.
Images by Rupert Reid.

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