Recess - So Good I’m Still Shaking

I may not be a professional reviewer but I see a LOT of theatre and I’ve studied theatre, created theatre etc etc. And I know that (as much as I would like there to be) there is no objective standard for my favourite medium, all art is subjective. That disclaimer made: This is possibly the best show I have ever seen. Ever.

Even taking into account that my idea of “good theatre” will be different from yours and the subject matter may not hit you as it did me, even if you only like large musical numbers or toilet humour, you must go and see this play! Your experience may not be as profound as mine, but I think it will move you and touch you and inspire you and cajole and charm you regardless.

And please comment on this review because I gave up taking notes about 10 minutes in, I was swept away.

I love one-person, bare stage productions. I think they get right down into the marrow of the story. And it’s a real test of an artist’s chops: to pull off a show with no props (literally) or fancy stuff to rely on. Actually, Una Aya Osato did use sound effects, voice over and projection, so it wasn’t 100% bare bones, but it was damn close. Very practical to package and tour too, I like that.

There were only a smattering of audience members the night I saw this piece. The auditorium began almost empty, but two minutes in the whole gym was full. Osaka brings such an energy and focus and depth of feeling with her and you’re right there in her world.

Alright, I’m ready to stop gushing and think critically. Let’s get some quanitifiables in here, shall we?

It’s a one-woman show, created and performed by Una Aya Osato. She plays five kids around the age of seven and their teacher at a school in the Bronx. The characters are distinct, solid, consistent and well defined. The plot is not linear. Well, the plot is, but the narrative jumps around (thank god otherwise the beginning would be all joy and the end all tears). I like the way the comedy and tragedy were cushioned in together. It stopped me overloading, kept me sensitive to what was going on. And, well, it’s more human, more like life.

I’ve never been to the Bronx. I come from a white middle-middle class background, BUT kids are kids everywhere. And in the middle of that innocence and magic and joy and enthusiasm there is death and confusion and cruelty and they process it in their own not yet understanding not yet jaded still feeling very deeply kinda way. Osato catches not just the physicality of children, but their voices, their energy, their thoughts, everything. She transforms.

Una Aya Osato is more than 100% pro, she’s an artist and a revolutionary. Shows like this are both humbling and exciting for me. They are why I go to the theatre, because when it’s like this, if it was all like this, we really could change the world with art.