Review by Amanda Lancaster

Is it  possible to bring life to death? Welcome to the Grr – an intimate hand made yurt, where the performers are determined to do just this.

In conjunction with the Blue Room Theatre, Grr Nights is part of a series of delightfully intimate mini festivals within the festival. Held in a hand made yurt, in a close proximity performance space, prepare to get up close and personal with both performers and audience alike.

Addressing such cheerful themes as the apocalypse and of course our ever impending deaths, we are treated to a trio of eclectic talents that host what is better described as an  experiment in experience rather than a performance or a show.

Showcasing the talents of musician Jacob Diamond, wonderfully crafted observations about life flow through the yurt and help the intimate setting seem almost tangibly  personal somehow. With his alternative- folk-rockabilly styled guitar melodies and accompanying lyrics of such carefully crafted detail, the night begins with almost a soothing tone like a lullaby.

We are then treated to the unique stylings of poetic wordsmith Scott Sandwich, who manages to put  an absurdly  humorous spin on the ideas of how we imagine our own personal deaths and how we hope to be remembered. With a wonderfully witty spoken word performance, Sandwich manages to tell us almost everything and simultaneously nothing about himself in a pseudo intimate stream of truths.  Leaving you with the sly feeling that you have just  experienced him via the skimming of his Facebook page.

Rounding out the night’s trio of stellar hosts is a onsie-wearing gent who invites the audience to write  letters to a fellow stranger in the audience as if it were the last thing you were to say and be remembered for before you left the yurt and perhaps even life itself.

Intimate without being intrusive, interactive without having to worry about introspection, this is an experience not to be missed. This is one performance that will definitely have you feeling that death has a life all its own.

When: 9 – 20 February 2016 (Times vary)

Where: Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, PERTH

Tickets: $25

Info: Some free tickets available, Duration varies, Suitable all ages

Links: 

Fringeworld – http://www.fringeworld.com.au/program/event/e31792de-0f7b-4d69-b4fa-0b38e4f0fb73/

Blue Room – http://blueroom.org.au/events/grr-nights-2/