Journey: Stories Of Migration To A New Homeland ~ Adelaide Fringe 2021 Review

[THEATRE/Spoken Word ~ SA PREMIERE ~ SA] Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Tue 2 March A group of young migrants telling stories about their journeys to Australia. Sounds simple enough. You might expect to hear people expressing their gratitude to Australia. But from the moment we are told in rap that “my journey is about the distance between you and me,” you realise this is going to be something more than simple platitudes. Migration is a complex process and being grateful to your new homeland is not necessarily the key point in migration stories. Along the way there is anger, frustration, loss, and loneliness. “Am I Australian?” asks a young African man. He’s been asking himself that question for 17 years and he still doesn’t know the answer. The irritating ‘where are you from?’ question is handled beautifully by a cast member whose appearance doesn’t make his ethnicity easy to label. He teases us to the end and refuses to tell us. What matters is that he is here now; trying to make sense of this new culture and strange land. This is a brave production. It dares to offer something quite different – a combination of rap, poetry and spoken word that by its nature demands its performers bare their souls. “I’m still discovering how to feel naked.” It’s a daunting task that requires trusting an audience when you are at your most vulnerable. Really quite moving. Laced with humour and some great rapping and performance poetry and capped off with a sensuous delicate dance routine that brought things to a subtle and beautiful close. 3.5 stars Michael Coghlan Journey continues at Ngunyawayiti Theatre at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, at various times, until Sun 21 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe #ClotheslineMag