At a time when conspiratorial thinking is rampant, and when those who feel they have no place in society gravitate towards charismatic con men, great Australian playwright Stephen Sewell and actress Helen O’Connor take us back to a similar time in 'Partying With Manson’.
In 'Partying With Manson', audiences spend an hour with one of the 1970s' most reviled killers: Manson Family member Susan Atkins, who was convicted of the murder of pregnant actress Sharon Tate. The play, which is making its world premiere at Adelaide Fringe, is advertised as having enough material to offend practically everyone: heavy swearing, simulated sex, and a shameless killer character who jokes about their deeds. It’s not what it seems though; Sewell’s work is not a glorification of a killer but rather an examination of how we can all fall victim to powerful people, so long as they are offering to give meaning to lives which lack them.
In 2004, Sewell wrote an essay entitled: 'Myth, Propaganda And Disaster In Nazi Germany And Contemporary America: A Drama In 30 Scenes'. Charles Manson sold myths to Susan: she wasn’t the product of a broken home, she was a God. Charles would make the universe great again. O’Connor, in a charismatic, fourth-wall-breaking show, explains her journey directly to the audience; she justifies her fall.
As a low-budget first run, the production does suffer a little from the simplicity of the lighting and set design. While O’Connor ('Rake', 'Crownies') delivers a very funny and engaging performance, some of the many accents she’s tasked with delivering could at times be thicker and more consistent. There is, unsurprisingly, given the biographies of all involved, great substance to the work, but still some refinement necessary.
'Partying With Manson' is a good reminder that when we find ourselves falling for stories which can’t be true, maybe there are some truths within we don’t want to see.
★★★★☆
