Cassie Hamilton ~ Being Transgender on the Internet ~ Cabaret Festival Review 2024

[CABARET/Music ~ AUS] Cassie Hamilton: A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying The Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre Wed 19 June, 2024. Disguised as a playful amateur theatre piece, this production exceeded expectations and transcended all genres to create its own. Wunderkind, Cassie Hamilton, has created a relatable modern-day Romeo and Juliet, with musical compositions that send a cheeky wink to iconic queer anthems from the Presets to Peaches. Whilst there are many works of theatre that tackle gender diversity – gently inviting cis/straight members of the audience to understand a world they know little about, Hamilton and her cast haul punters head-long into an unfiltered love/hate tale of divisive online identity politicking and the unlikely connections (both wholesome and toxic) formed in a journey self-discovery. The protagonist, a male to female trans influencer who feels pressured to fit the patriarchal “doll” mould of a woman, is accosted by others in the trans/nonbinary community for conforming to misogynistic and archaic ideals in the public forum of her live Twitter feed. In the midst of the chaos, she falls for another trans woman who gives her an insight into self-acceptance. The story unfolds in a series of online/text message exchanges which are delivered by the four performers while a DJ sets each scene with impressive sound effects and dance tracks. The interaction between characters is authentic, hilarious and beautifully choreographed with slick gesticulations and dance routines. Within the script is a series of cleverly crafted monologues reflecting on the struggle of meeting the expectations of others whilst staying true to who you are – a seemingly impossible feat in a world so grossly obsessed with what’s trending in the echo-chambers of social media platforms. Overall, this unique musical theatre piece feels like the first chapter of many Hamilton has to offer – I can’t wait to see what she does next. 5 stars Louise Adele #TheClothesline