Witty and fast paced, an impeccable piece of theatre
Presented by: Safari Street Creative
Reviewed: 22 February, 2024
“Do you want to win or do you want to be right?”
Demagogue is a short play by Safari Street Creative, back after a successful 2022 season.
The play is simply set in a university dean’s office, with an (unhappily) married power couple, Chris (Spencer Scholz) and Kate (Samantha Riley), as they wait to discuss their daughter (Michaela)’s punishment for an act of vandalism on school property.
As the next 60 minutes unfolds, the audience is granted small tidbits of information about Michaela’s seemingly petty act; and about our power couple. Throughout the wait, which we see played out as a verbal battle, we see Chris’s role as a high up political figure in government and Kate’s role in marketing/PR come into play as the truth of Michaela’s act is later revealed.
Scholz’s writing conveys that political and activist movements are rooted in emotion and we later see how the emotions of our power couple come into play with their decision making. Scholz and Riley’s strong performance make for an unnervingly natural portrayal of the power couple’s interactions. Scholz’s passionate (and sometimes frustrated) Chris contrasts with Riley’s calculating and cold Kate. The duo expertly deliver the witty and fast moving dialogue to the point where the conflict is moved from external to internal by Chris and Kate as they weigh their role in Michaela’s act and with their own ambitions and motives.
Reviewed by Natasha Wood
Photo credit: Safari Street
Venue: The Studio – Holden Street Theatres
Season: Extended until 3rd March
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $20-$27
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/demagogue-af2024
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