The intimate location of Rust bar worked well for Mayhem in Milan, though chairs on the opening night were a little hard to come by and several punters were left standing at the back. The room was used well with the centre aisle doubling occasionally as a catwalk. Sometimes, however, it was hard to see the action from the back, particularly with the ‘bedroom’ scenes. This was most upsetting as these were by far the highlights of the night.
Dean Arcuri’s comically camped-up portrayal of a top fashion designer and his two floozy lovers Marque (Stefan Trentini) and Jacque (Chad Mathew) earned the majority of the laughs on the night. Arcuri’s struggle to stay out of bed long enough to design anything for the big Milan Fashion Week, as well as the rivalries between his two lovers, provided the most engaging plot lines and likable characters. However, despite these delights, I would call Mayhem in Milan more a play than a comedy.
The rest of the story was a little meandering and many of the driving forces of the other characters were a little two obvious. Often a character would address the audience within a few minutes of being introduced and spell out their motivations. Also, the play appeared to be wrapped up with little resolution, regardless of these issues, it was almost worth it for the three gay men alone.