Reviewed by: Glam Adelaide
Review by Kristin Stefanoff | 03 March 2024
What do you get when a pair of Disney nerds are stuck in lockdown during a strangely ambiguous apocalypse? The answer comes in the form of a very tight, very funny and kind of dark two-person show. Distopia follows wanna-be Disney performer Cassie and her best friend Dave, who, instead of performing at Disney World, are doing children’s parties. The cutesy opening, featuring the almost painfully cheerful Accidentally Kelly Street, quickly takes a darker turn when a natural disaster causes a lengthy lockdown. From here, the sanity of our characters may be questionable, but the Disney singalongs (of excerpts short enough to avoid copyright) are guaranteed. David Salter and Casmira Lorien showcase their exceptional acting skills and comic timing. The script is funny, but their delivery, both of the lines and the physicality of their performances, make it hilarious. The entire show is fast-paced and very tight, from the simple-but-effective choreography to perhaps the slickest sound and lighting cues I’ve ever seen in a Fringe show — I still catch myself giggling about ‘the door’, and if you want to find out what that is, you had better get a ticket while you can. David and Casmira are both talented musicians and singers, and they both show this vocally and with ukulele or keyboard accompaniments, with the music, a combination of Disney, pop songs and some originals, becoming a seamless part of the script. The script is clever and not overdone, and includes so many Disney references that I’m certain I didn’t catch them all. The only element that sat at a slightly lower standard than the rest was the ending. The show wrapped up extremely quickly and felt a little weak compared to the rest of the show. Knowing the strict time limits many Fringe shows have, perhaps a more fleshed out version of the ending of the show outside of Fringe time would rectify this. Distopia is hilarious, very clever, and features fantastic music, comedy, and creepy sock puppets. Do yourself a favour and see this masterpiece while you can — and if nothing else gets you there, go for the door.