Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
When Seven Methods of Killing Jenner opened in Sydney last year, the no-holds-barred-in-your-face play received standing ovations and glowing reviews.
Fast forward.
Closing night in Meeanjin.
There’s a buzz, a vibe, an energy in the theatre as the lights are dimmed. Grunting and groaning, two figures make their way to the stage dragging what looks like a body wrapped in fabric. The object of their hard work is unceremoniously dropped inside a trapdoor.
So begins ninety minutes of hilarious, entertaining and above all, priceless theatre at its finest.
Forbes magazine claims that twenty-one year old Kylie Jenner is a ‘self-made billionaire’. Cleo has an issue with this. So Twitter becomes the battlefield for Cleo aka @INCOGNEGRO to unwittingly unleash her dissatisfaction. Throughout the play she devises her very own particular methods that consist of seven ways to kill this fraudulent white self-made billionaire.
Playwright Jasmine Lee-Jones wittily employs hashtags, emojis and memes to bring her script to (cyber) life where verbal battles are more often than not waged in cyberspace. (This enthusiastic theatre goer had to keep scrambling for the glossary of terms handout so as not to loose sight of the plot). Each tweet is displayed in all its magnitude across a huge screen fixed above the set. Under the direction of co-directors Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens best friends Cleo and Kara don’t miss a beat with their amusing interpretation of the unfolding drama being fought in the Twittersphere. Accents are on point. Their uproarious acting is second to none as the tweets roll hard and fast across the screen that cleverly mimics the feel of the real thing.
However cyber bullies are out in full force and inevitably @INCOGNEGRO becomes a target for their abuse as she passionately names each of her methods…
#deathbypoison
#deatbyshooting
#deathbydrowning
#deathbyskinning
#deathbyimmolation
#deathbydisgrace
Images (including cover image) supplied.
Before they know it, Cleo and Kara are thrust deep, deep, deep inside the rabbit hole of racism, colourism and the ongoing, relentless commodification of Black women. But when tweets resurface that question @INCOGNEGRO’s stance on homophobia, the battle is no longer fought in cyberspace. It becomes very personal. Gender preferences, shades of skin-colour, types of hair, beauty… are on the table as these two rip into each other while delving headlong into their very own pain and anguish. The heated discussion about hair straighteners is reminiscent of when my mother forced me into doing the same. While the intense and animated dialogue about skin colour brought back bitter memories of being abandoned by my grandmother.
Then just when you think all is forgiven, @INCOGNEGRO drops her final bombshell - method number seven, #deathbydisplacement, citing her example as South African Khoisan (indigenous) woman Saartjie Baartman who was repeatedly vilified for her anatomy in 19th century Europe. The mood shifts as the words “Remember her story” is invoked repeatedly resonating through the silence. Unacknowledged by most Wypipo, Saartjie’s experience is still alive and well, masquerading under the guise of systemic racism. Saartjie’s mention catapulted me back to my youth when the divisive apartheid laws were enforced to classify South Africans according to hair texture, skin colour and anatomy.
Effie Nkrumah embodied her role as Cleo while Iolanthe aka Kara was outstanding as her bestie, her confidante and her conscience. The two were explosive as they confronted the trauma and nuances that once set them apart while scrutinising colourism, homophobia and sexual assault through the lens of a Black woman.
Kim ‘Busty Beatz’ Bowers brings the flava and good vibes with her carefully curated playlist featuring an eclectic soundtrack ranging from Hip Hop, Soul, Grime and the current South African favourite Amapiano. Chaka Khan, Neneh Cherry and Grace Jones got me feeling like a (disco) queen all over again.
This bibliophile became so engrossed in the titles on display at the Seven Methods travelling bookshop that I nearly missed the cue to the start of the show. The titles ranging from fact to fiction introduces interested readers aka allies to topics about colour, race, identity and Black culture.
The script ingeniously creates an awareness of what it’s really, really, really like to be a Black woman. It sets the stage to implement change that can dismantle long-standing issues that seriously need addressing. This groundbreaking theatre production brought me yet another step closer to breaking the shackles of apartheid and its lifelong trauma. It was cathartic to be exposed in this way.
Meeanjin was generous with its full house, its resounding applause and three standing ovations.
If I had stars to hand out, I’d hand them all to this groundbreaking and empowering production.
