What does it mean when nothing is what it seems? What is it like to grow up in a dictatorship? And what does it mean to be Brainwashed?
Through a mix of comedy, theatre, audience participation, and clownery, in her fringe debut Brainwashed Alina Konon recounts her childhood growing up in the Soviet Union.
Konon was born in the Soviet Union — a country that no longer exists — and raised in Belarus. Through Brainwashed, she explores life growing up in dictatorship, including the attitudes and ideas instilled in her from childhood. Her love for Lenin, crises of faith, identity as a Soviet and Belorussian citizen, and her eventual leaving for New York are all discussed.
The approach to storytelling is wonderfully silly and playful, between playground games, dancing with a spade, and even making soup mid-performance! Konon’s physicality is excellent and fascinating to watch: she commands the stage with her energy, and I was completely enthralled for the entire show. Audience participation is at the heart of the performance, but Konon never makes this feel intimidating. As a serial hater of audience participation, Brainwashed felt like a safe and light-hearted space for Konon and the audience alike.
The total absurdity of Konon’s piece acts as a means to process her experiences of propaganda, and echoes the absurdity of some of the political messaging. It ends on an emotional note, which felt incredibly compelling and tied the show together. With that being said, I felt that the plot could have connected more smoothly throughout, and possibly gone deeper into some of the more complex ideas.
Alina Konon is genuinely one of the funniest people I have had the privilege of watching this Fringe. Her delivery, performance and clown skills had the audience in stitches at various moments, at the same time as she delivers a poignant message. And, most brilliantly of all, she literally makes soup on stage.
Brainwashed is running until 30 August at The Annexe at Paradise in the Vault. Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student as press material.
