Little Monster is a fantastic lyrical cascade of prose exposing all the inner demons that take up residence in our happy little home of a head.
Housemates are tricky – we all love being alone but there are times or when necessity is needed, that we all need a friend but sometimes, often, more than one creeps in.
These housemates are all too familiar, each a facet of your psyche that you have met before or have always been there – they seemed helpful at the time of meeting, even comforting, but in time, much like all housemates, their true colours soon show.
Telia Nevile’s masterful writing converts the nagging monsters of the mind into relatable and all to familiar housemates – playfully unpacking each new housemate that moves in with poetic storytelling and deeply rich and cheeky rhymes.
As each vignette unfolds a new housemate moves in – written with such unique insight and perfectly selected words, that they feel vastly different from the one before, taking on a character and voice that emulate each little monster with absolute accuracy.
Nevile performs the work with an abundance of glee, flawless syncopation and an unnerving smirk and glint in their eyes. Inviting the audience to settle into this makeshift story time hour, Neville delivers the script akin to a nap time story – one that shines a bright spotlight on adult life.
This is a work of utter genius – weaving such flawless metaphor with distinctly clever structure and cadence. Throughout the piece Nevile consistently manages to take audiences on fantastical journeys into their own physic, all the while gently holding our hands and reminding us that our little monsters aren’t as overwhelmingly monstrous as they may first appear.
Little Monster
Melbourne Fringe Digital On Demand
Season continues to 17 October 2021
Information and Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au
Image: Telia Nevile in Little Monster (supplied)
Review: Gavin Roach