THIS IS FINE: A Musical
Studio 77, Victoria University, 77 Fairlie Tce, Kelburn, Wellington
24/02/2021 - 27/02/2021
Production Details
MEMES MEET MUSICAL THEATRE AT THE NZ FRINGE
Theatre of Love is bringing your social media feed to the stage in a new live musical premiering at NZ Fringe.
Inspired by a meme, This is Fine: A Musical uploads audiences to the online realms of influencers, trolls, catfish, memelords, and shady dark web users. Reflecting our digital desires and anxieties, the show explores the gaps between our online and offline behaviour. Not every profile is as it seems.
This is Fine was developed as part of a musical theatre course at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University in 2020. When Aotearoa went into lockdown in March 2020, the original plan for the course went out the window. Using Discord and Zoom, the team adapted to the challenges of collaboratively devising and composing a new musical remotely. The result is a Broadway-size two act musical featuring 17 original songs (a mash of rock, pop, jazz rap and good old Broadway).
Derived from a webcomic by artist K.C. Green, the ‘This is Fine’ meme proved the ideal jumping off point for the themes of the show. The meme format depicts an anthropomorphised dog sitting next to a mug of coffee while flames consume the room around it. “This is fine” says the dog in speech bubble, a nonchalant expression on its face. In 2016 the New York Times declared it the meme that year deserved, and since then it has been all over our feeds. As a mantra, “This is fine” sums up the cognitive dissonance of living through crisis after crisis in the 21st Century and the uncertainty faced by young people as to what the future may bring. When the world is burning all around you, sometimes all you can do is go online and post a meme.
The show weaves together three intersecting storylines to emphasise the diverse experiences of how we perform and interact online: the good, bad, and the ugly. A teen tries to break into the social media influencer game. A troll goes looking for love. A Facebook Mum is drawn deeper into the algorithm. What are they willing to risk in order to connect?
VUW Theatre programme lecturer and This is Fine co-director James Wenley is looking forward to finally sharing the show with live audiences: “The initial group of 20 students has doubled to a team of 40 performers, musician and crew working to bring this massive show to the Fringe. We hope audiences will come away from the show humming the catchy tunes and looking a little differently at what appears on their phone screens.”
This is Fine: A Musical
Studio 77, 77 Fairlie Terrace, Kelburn Parade
Wednesday 24 to Saturday 27 February 2021
6:30pm; additional 1pm matinee Sat 27.
Tickets from NZ Fringe.
Theatre , Musical ,
Proves the value of connecting IRL
Review by Melissa Bee 25th Feb 2021
This is Fine, a devised musical from the Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington Theatre course, is much like the internet: funny, sometimes confusing, self-referential and competing for our attention at every moment. The use of Red, green and blue (RGB) lighting and costuming, inspired by the colours within pixels, is a clever way to define the storylines. These touches save the performance from details missed because of uneven sound levels and jumps in storyline.
The musical was devised over Zoom calls and Google Docs beginning during the first weeks of lockdown last year and developed later in person. Its inspiration and creative process are evident throughout the show. The scenes within are perfectly fine but often jump to song without establishing backstory or earning songs emotionally.
The most successful numbers are the ‘variety’ numbers which stand on their own as comedic pieces, like the Rocky Horror-esque ‘All Hail King P’ or ‘Social Media Deadlands’, where it feels as if the ensemble worked as a unit, rather than linking together pieces from small groups.
Overall, the characters feel more relatable when they interact with one another rather than singing solo to the back of the theatre – which happens often in this show. Each lead has a moment to shine but special mention goes to Ottilie Bleackley (Linda) and Anna Barker (Lola) who demonstrate that consistent, committed vocal and character work can make a supporting character shine as brightly as the stars of the show.
From conception to curtain call, This is Fine proves its thesis: we are at our best when we connect IRL.*
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*(In Real Life)
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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