STAGE DOOR PODCAST
28 May 2025
Ashlyn Hunter
“this performance is like nothing I have seen before”
REVIEW
THE ANARCHY [1138-53]
With a title like “The Anarchy”, I think anyone would be expecting a bit of rough housing with some interesting political takes to be slammed in front of them. I can quite positively say that this performance is like nothing I have seen before. It will not leave you bored but may leave you wondering what realm you’ve stepped into.
KXT welcomes Doppelgangster’s, “The Anarchy (1138-53)” to its stage. Although I physically stepped off Broadway, I swear I was transported to a punk underground theatre in the throes of the New York art scene. This piece involved a lot of performance and physical art, so to some this may not be your cup of tea. For others, this politically charged chaos may be exactly what you’re looking for.
As the title indicates, Tobias Manderson-Galvin and Kerith Manderson-Galvin’s characters take you through a rough, 15-year period of Civil War and unrest called “The Anarchy”. It’s an intense critique of our violent society via explaining how to get through a treacherous video game – there are multiple ways to die and multiple paths to follow in this fictional town.
I must note that I have never felt this strange mix of both comfortability yet unknowing in a theatre space before. Whether they were encouraging you to get up and dance with them, giving you a firm handshake, or leaving the theatre space to make you a cup of tea (and yes, this isn’t an exaggeration), they make you completely integrated with the proceedings of the night.
And I can’t say I’ve been to many performances where they make the audience stand up, close their eyes, and wait as one of us is tapped on the shoulder and asked to leave – but hey! I was here for it.
This was not a piece made for you to turn your brain off and sit back idly. There is never a dull moment. Even in the parts I was lost, I was 100% engaged. You are surrounded by constant noise, dialogue and stagecraft. With mirrors adorning the floors and walls, your eyes have no time to rest.
This piece was experimental, absurd, thrilling, and not quite like the usual performances I go to see. I can always appreciate a works originality and their ability to take risks. In saying that, I would have loved a little bit more understanding in terms of narrative. I found that at times it could have slowed down and taken a breath to develop itself fully. But I will admit that there was entertainment in being hurled a barrage of information and directions at you at times. Quite like when your friends are explaining a new card game to you and it kind of sounds like gibberish, yet you’ve got this pit of excitement as you endure the chaos.… but imagine it ramped up a few notches.
What was so fascinating about this piece is that they were not afraid to be unapologetically bold to where its obscurity became endearing and hilarious. Their use of props, although clumsy or unsure whether they were intentionally placed that way at times, I found oddly captivating. One of my favourite parts of the production aspect was its use of AI voice over. At times it would overlap with the characters dialogue on stage, creating another level of tension and confusion. But it was interesting how it related to the AI Tik Tok videos I tend to doom-scroll on; a satirical approach to our splintered attention spans, executed in real time.
This performance left me pondering the world around me. As someone who has witnessed a good chunk of theatre, I sometimes feel as though it is made to be digestible and incredibly consumable for the masses. Which is great for accessibility and approachability, of course. What is so interesting about this piece is that it goes against this digestibility – it will bombard you with thoughts and emotions throughout. Stress? Anticipation? Doesn’t matter. This piece will poke every nerve to see what twitches.
If you are wanting to watch something a bit more edgy and exploratory then go grab yourself a ticket.