Donna & Damo is the story of two lost souls, each a little damaged in their own way, and how they come to find each other through their mutual lack of interest in sex. A classic love story, then. It’s also a rather wonderful little stage play that is by turns both funny and thoughtful. The staging of the play is beautifully sparse, with only an overhead projector serving as a backdrop, but it is used to wonderful effect as it is being constantly updated with cutely drawn scenery, close-ups of items the characters are looking at, and even thought-bubbles projecting from the heads of the characters. This is a great concept that served to heighten the slightly surreal atmosphere generated by the slowly unfolding story. As the second half of the play turns into a slightly bizarre road trip, the slowly-passing terrain in the background really adds to the feeling that the play is taking you somewhere- which it does.
The two leads are excellent. Sarah Collins (who also authored the piece) walks a very fine tightrope between making the character of Donna both charming and frustrating, but shows her acting chops by suddenly switching to another character and fully realizing them in just a few short lines. The show really rises or falls on her abilities and she carries the weight with ease. Justin Kennedy plays double-duty as both narrator and the titular Damo (among other characters), which is a little jarring at first but he quickly establishes strong voices for both roles.
There’s not a lot to criticize here. If you’re not a fan of whimsy then you may find this a little grating- it definitely leans more heavily on forming the story and the characters than it does on delivering continuous laughter, but I didn’t find that a problem as I was quickly swept away by them both. There is a lot of funny material in here, although a lot of it lies a little beneath the surface rather than right in your face. All in all, it’s a great little play, and a very nice addition to the fest. Recommended.
For full booking details go to the Melbourne Comedy Festival website
(Author’s note: Be sure to get to the venue early, the Black Box can be a little hard to find if you’re in a rush.)