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A black comedy full of heart, character(s) and introspection, Better is a Butcher will leave you grateful for those in your life that love you for you.
Five characters, five reasons to live as much as they can while they still can. Writer and performer Thomas Campbell layers memory, humour and fantasy in a 50minute phantasmagoria, a dreamlike sequence of scenes each depicting a different character in a different stage of life. Each engage in a conversation with a partner we cannot see or hear, capturing the feeling of waiting, listening, anticipating what comes next.
Campbell is a chameleon, morphing from a charmingly scandalous old lady into an ecstasy-addled polyamorous webcamer in mere moments. His characters, brought to life by nothing more than a costume change, a prop or two and Campbell’s complete transformation of persona, embody the ennui and fear of dying alone that we all experience as humans. Each appears in their own way to be fiercely, determinedly independent and extraordinarily different, yet at their core they all yearn for the same thing: genuine human connection and someone to love, and to be loved by them. Each has been hurt, and each has hurt someone else.
Threaded throughout are reflections on Campbell’s experiences as a queer man living with one hand, having been born without the other. Some of his characters embrace this part of them, to others it doesn’t come up, not being relevant to the story. One hates it, and the arm itself even gets a say at one point. It confronts you with all the things you’ve ever wondered about how to act towards someone that looks different and tells you to just calm down and focus on being a decent human being.
Direction by Kate Gaul centres on subtle movements and clear, defined lighting to bring us in and out of the environments of each character’s world: yellow and warm for the elderly woman, an intimidating spotlight for the little girl, and bright lights for a certain creature that closes the show gloriously. The one-sided conversations by necessity make you wait. You hang on every word, be it shouted or whispered, delivered to you or a laptop or a therapist. It’s a lesson in remembering that everything you’re feeling is totally normal, that I’d be happy to take again
Cabernet Sauvignon | Wine Pairing
Like Campbell and his satirical introspection, Cab Sauv is unapologetically in your face when it comes to body and intensity, and only grows better with age.
My Pick: Franklin Tate Estates, Alexander’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, WA
A delicious drop with flavours of candied strawberries, herbaceous and peppery with a pleasantly noticeable tannin. Great quality at a great price point, a key tenet of this Sydney Fringe Festival production.
Betty is a Butcher, Siren Theatre Co | Tasting Notes
| Aussie Season | 5 to 9 Sept 2023, PACT |
| Ticket $ | $34-39 |
| Writer | Thomas Campbell |
| Director | Kate Gaul |
| Theatre Type & Genre | one man show, memoir |
| See it if you like | dark humour |
| Wine Pairing | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Criteria for Wine Pairing | ages like a fine wine |
Toasting Aussie Theatre 