Fearing death is an anxiety as old as time, and it has caused many to have sought out immortality—but at what costs should we try to achieve eternal existence? Blah Blah Productions’ Jellyfish introduces the audience to twins Nova and T, who are entirely committed to preserving themselves and avoiding death. So committed in fact that their existence is entirely dedicated to a strict routine of red-light, specialised liquid diets, electroshock treatments, cryogenic chambers, and a mysterious controversial procedure utilising Turritopsis Dohrnii—immortal jellyfish. To mark their hundredth birthday they are giving an interview following them through a day of their strict routine, but as the questions turn towards public curiosities about the sources of their blood transfusions and boats washing up in Korea with dead Turritopsis Dohrnii fishermen, it becomes clear that there is more to their unique and exclusive lifestyle than the red light therapy and IV drips.
The piece is a thought-provoking and entertaining satirical dystopian comedy. Jess Coppen-Gardner (who plays Nova as well as writing the play) and Felix Le Freak (playing T) give enthralling performances that wonderfully portray the unconventional relationship between the siblings’ eccentric personalities. The performance tactfully tackles the realities of exploitative systems and harmful resource extraction in a realistic manner, while touching on more scandalous conspiracy theories without indulging them. Despite the dystopian nature of the play, it delivers a narrative that features wrongdoing that is not transgressively extreme and implausible, but instead is familiar to existing established exploitative labour systems. It also creates characters grounded in reality, who despite their bizarre way of life, maintain authentic desires, fears, and perspectives.
The main limitation of this production lays with the pacing: the ending feels rushed, while earlier points could be abbreviated. The ending itself is an interesting resolution, but it is delivered in a slightly too hasty manner to be as compelling as it could have been. There are a number of thoroughly impactful reveals that are cleverly and subtly foreshadowed but would be even impactful if their full disclosure at the end had been less abrupt.
Jellyfish is an engaging and visually interesting piece that tackles ideas of what it is to live, the cost of trying to cheat death, and commodified nature of health & wellness resources.
Jellyfish ran until 31 August at Bluebell at Underbelly George Square.
Image by Adam Morschner, provided to The Student as press material.
