Plastica Fantastica | Jennifer Laycock
After a week in lockdown, it was an absolute privilege to be back in the theatre. I was thrilled to find myself in a darkened room, surrounded by strangers, collectively laughing our guts out at the eccentric personalities that graced the stage. Theatre makers, Jennifer Laycock and Nicolas Angelosanto performed back-to-back character comedies Plastica Fantastica and Lucy & Me at Backdock Arts.
Plastica Fantastica was clever, poignant and a real knee-slapper. A woman obsessed with plastic, who is also allergic to plastic. How can she live without the one thing she loves the most? Brilliant. Nunny was dorky, awkward, and extremely loveable. Her Scottish accent and drab clothing clashed with her raunchy dance moves and sassy demeanour, culminating in a truly absurd character.
My highlight was Jennifer’s exceptional physical comedy. Nunny’s physical quirks had been choreographed in minute detail. She moved in an odd way, limbs flailing and smacking into each other as if she was still learning how to use her body, like a newborn deer. Nunny seemed uncoordinated but not at the expense of her agency, she knew exactly what she wanted and went after it at all costs.
There were countless hiccups and mishaps on Nunny’s journey to live a plastic free life. Simple tasks became impossible challenges that were hilarious to watch her overcome. Nunny wore a tiny skirt that she had to keep pulling down to obscure view of her underwear. She attempted to drink from a glass without a plastic straw, employing tongs and her hands to scoop the water from the cup, and in the process getting water almost everywhere.
Jennifer was attuned to the audience and played with us frequently, giving looks or asking people to chime in. She went with the flow and found new moments of humour in dropped lines and accidental flinging of tupperware against a wall.
Plastica Fantastica had a clever premise, a clear purpose and brought genuine laughs without being preachy. A night well spent.
