What do you get when you mix zombies, mullets, and slam poetry? In UTS’ 2023 People of Colour (POC) Revue, a bunch of ethnic people having some good ol’ fun.
‘The Apocalypse’ is the first UTS POC Revue to grace the stage, as the run of the POC Revue in 2021 was cancelled due to COVID lockdown. It certainly delivered. Rambunctious laughter could be heard from the audience throughout the show but especially during the recurring ‘Chris Travels the World’ vlogs, which saw Chris (Akash Mehta) on a trip down under following his subscribers’ dubious advice about the best things to do in Sydney. The consistent shaky camera work, the disappointment in being led to Parramatta’s Woolies Metro, and a surprise visit to a local theatre production (gold sticker to anyone who can guess what this production may be) really tied the show together.
The standout sketches were familiar POC-related tropes turned sideways, and sometimes on their head. The common ‘ethnic parent apologies through a bowl of cut up fruit’ was highlighted in a matter-of-fact infomercial format; in an amusing role reversal, an ethnic person (Kaitlyn Nguyen) pulled faces in a ‘let’s try ‘white people food’ (“a tuh-nah sand-witch?”) video; and four friends (Kai Wang, Amelia Vogelsang, Ava Camillos, Julian Kumar) discussed their new white boyfriends who all had the exact same traits, and name (“Jayden”).
I was particularly impressed by the physicality purposefully utilised in many of the sketches, which more so assisted the comedy to great effect, rather than inherently created it. This was most apparent in a rendition of Mike Mic’s where Camillos’ Mike explained the JFK assassination. It was supported by visuals from three mimes (Apoorv Jaiswal, Kirsty Siauw, Jollee Hacadurian-Sacco), with the miming quickly delving into a conspiracy which saw Lee Harvey Oswald (“Le Hoe”) being painted as a werewolf who had “imprinted” on Jackie Kennedy.
Behind the show’s comic notes there was also acknowledgement of the current political climate. Directors Adi Rao and Dani Saplad highlighted this year’s theme as “reminiscent and relevant to the lived and living experiences of many BIPOCs, especially in light of the current situation in occupied Palestine” and voiced that the show is an “expression of support for those whose past and current experiences align closely to our show theme, and we unequivocally stand in solidarity with them.”
There did seem to be a lack of connection between the Apocalyptic theme of the show and the content of the sketches more widely. Though this did not detract from my enjoyment of the show, it did at times hinder cohesion as a complete and unified project.
Despite these small quibbles, ‘The Apocalypse’ was a delight to watch unfold. The cast, and the production team behind the scenes, should be commended on putting together a show that featured both common ethnic experiences and novel takes. There’s no doubt they’ll be back with just as entertaining productions in the years to come.
‘UTS POC Revue: The Apocalypse’ plays its final show at PACT Theatre, Erskinville on Saturday night. Tickets can be found here.
