REVIEW: Everyone Knows I'm A Pervert
- Lola Kate Carlton
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
More than 500,000 people in Australia currently have OCD. But without having it, it’s hard to know what it feels like.
It’s two in the morning. You’re sitting on your floor agonizing over what you believe is your moral failure from that afternoon (not waving for three seconds at the crossing guard). Part of you is convinced you have committed a sin against God for what you’ve done and must pay karmically at some point. The other part relishes in your shame and discomfort, encourages you to dig deeper, feel worse, and fix it with something cheap, fun, and destructive.
Enter, Everybody Knows I’m A Pervert, written by Taylor Fernandez, a one-act 90 minute exploration of moral OCD, shame, desire, and of course, perversion.
The stage at KXT has been left almost entirely bare, a couple of lightweight chairs and a table, and KXT’s sturdy rig has been anointed with only a couple spots and washes. Clearly, this show is to be presented as stripped back and actor forward. That being said, Holly Nesbitt’s lighting has never needed an excess of tools to impress, and her work on this show kept the audience consistently focused.
The three actors, Jenny Guigayoma, Jake Walker, Jade Fuda, are certainly a force to behold. All have taken the idea of “committing to the bit” to heart, and are fully immersed in comedy and character on stage. Jade Fuda specifically shined in her range, playing multiple characters with varying intensities which gave us moments of respite in what was admittedly a flash-bang of a theatrical experience. Her comedic timing was incredibly clean and she relished in the farcical nature of the show. Walker was very likeable, with a flair for physical comedy that, at times, impressed me simply by what he was willing to do on stage without flinching. Guigayoma was interesting through moments of sincerity, but at points lacked the conviction to character and emotion that the audience needed to empathise with her. All three delivered at an admirable 110% for the entire performance, and must be applauded even if the production in its entirety left the audience with a slightly flat taste in their mouths.
KXT can be hard to direct for, with its traverse stage presenting unique challenges to directors. It was here that I felt the production faltered. In the one truly raw and vulnerable moment of the play, Guigayoma was blocked with her back to 90% of the audience, which felt unintentional and cheated us out of seeing her actually process her situation. Similarly, it was not unusual to see a character’s back for most of their conversation, and although KXT is certainly small enough for the audience to hear the story, we often didn’t see it. Direction by Beatrice Blackwell often felt at its best, self-serving comedically, and at worst, heavy handed, a sharp elbow to the gut going “right? Right?” This was broken up with really interesting and beautiful moments of sincerity or legitimate satire, which, if teased out, may have made the show more successful.
Everybody Knows I’m A Pervert was a legitimate effort from a young team, headed by three actors who threw themselves onto the stage with conviction and vigour. Although the production had its flaws, it is a commendable achievement from the team, and an interesting look into a deeply stigmatised and caricaturised mental illness. It had very strong moments that show potential from its team and possibility across the board. Voyeuristically, I will watch with deep, desperate interest where they go next.
Everyone Knows I'm A Pervert plays at KXT On Broadway 20th of June.
