As Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ echoes through Fortyfivedownstairs, audiences are drawn into the world of Nicci Wilks, poised for her performance in Bad Boy as part of Melbourne Fringe. Had I been oblivious to Patricia Cornelius’s hallmark style – characterised by incisive examinations of contemporary masculinity, misogyny, and domestic violence – the song’s implications might have eluded me. Or perhaps not, given that domestic violence saturates our headlines. Yet, within the 60-minute runtime, this weighty topic feels both rushed and stretched.
This one-person show is a collaboration between Cornelius, Susie Dee, and Wilks, following the footsteps of their earlier work, Runt. In a gender inversion, Wilks plays a male character who first presents as a grotesque clown, before (perhaps too promptly) shedding the makeup to reveal an ‘everyman’ named Will. He pisses, grunts and thrusts, before falling for student-nurse Kathy. What ensues is your classic boy-meets-girl-they-have-kids-gone-wrong narrative, exploring the complexities of their relationship as it becomes ensnared in a cyclical system of abuse.
In the first act, the creative trio balances levity and gravity. Even the stalking scene, marked by humour and impressive physicality by Wilks, underscores the absurdity and predictability of these archetypes.
Dee’s direction makes use of a circular stage, enhanced by red neon signs that circulate above like a digital noticeboard. Terms like “stalking” and the lyrics to The Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ juxtapose the on-stage antics. Here, we catch Cornelius’ signature lyricism, which occasionally feels more simplistic than artfully concealed.
Within a landscape inundated with the all-too-familiar spectre of violence, the unsettling dynamic loses its bite by the third act. Instead, it’s the subtle moments that bear the most weight: a giggly meet-cute, a torrent of intrusive questions, and the speed at which affection turns to cruelty.
By the end, the play evolves into something resembling performance art rather than theatre, leading Bad Boy to falter in sustaining its impact against the weight of its own familiar themes.
Bad Boy is playing at Fortyfivedownstairs until Sunday, October 13. Tickets start from $35 and are on sale here.
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