The Lady Or The Tiger

Kleine Feinheiten’s new devised work The Lady Or The Tiger is based (loosely) on Frank R Stockton’s short story of the same title. A youth is sent to trial and given a choice. Two doors. Behind one waits a lady, to whom he will be married immediately. Behind the other waits a tiger, ready to tear him to pieces – also immediately.

The audience enters a kind of garage at Bondi Pavilion. The rows are tight together, and in front of us is a roller door, with the title projected onto it. Music, designed by Angus Mills, fills the room. It is climactic. The roller door, acting as the most surprising and funny curtain you may ever have seen, rolls up. In open air, in the middle of a brick arena with raked steps, stand a princess and a tiger. The roller door closes. This is the first image. The story begins.

Put on show are the combined devising talents of Claudia Osborne, Adriane Daff, Mikala Westall and Eliza Scott. It’s a thrilling ride of tangents, nonsense, storytelling (and story-spoiling -- not Game Of Thrones or even Toy Story 4 are safe).

Osborne graduated from NIDA’s directing course in 2018, and with honed tools continues her love of performance that doesn't quite make sense, always more about the splendour and instability of storytelling than a traditional narrative. Keep an eye on her if this is up your alley. Co-directing with Mikala Westall, the duo achieve a show that is wholeheartedly high concept and a big hit of fun.

Adriane Daff and Eliza Scott’s performances ensure that the lofty direction and concept garner the audience’s sympathy. They’re a joy to watch – weird and wonderful, and supremely engaging given the challenge of the space and non-linear nonsense of the text.

If you’re at Bondi Feast, get along to see something different, a good bit of fun, and more than a bit conceptual.