Critical Corner: Big Swiss, The Bloom, et al

In this (slightly truncated) edition of Critical Corner, a review of hit novel Big Swiss, dance show The Bloom, and a round-up of other things I've consumed.

My friend has been urging me to read Big Swiss by Jenn Beagin for about a year now, and if the amount of holds it has at the library are any indication, your friend has probably been telling you to read it too. The elevator pitch is probably its best sell: Greta, a mildly unhinged woman finds a job transcribing therapy sessions in a small town, and she ends up falling in love/obsession (choose applicable) with a woman who she names "Big Swiss" based on her transcripts. Things get complicated from there.

Big Swiss has deservedly received rave reviews from pretty much everyone, but the one review that's stuck with me is this one from The Cut, which calls it an "anti-trauma plot novel". In contrast to both modern narratives and traditional dramaturgy, neither character is burdened by their trauma, and both discard bad experiences as easily as they do dirty clothing. The tragedy, and inevitability, is that trauma is your partner in a three-legged race, no matter how fast you try to run away from it, it's always going to be there when you cross the finish line. Beagin captures that in Big Swiss with dark humour, but also a grim sense of reality. It's stuck with me a lot in the week since.

Last week, I also had the chance to watch Jessie McCall's The Bloom at Lot23. There's a slight conflict of interest here (we went to Unitec at the same time, my show is on at the same venue this week) but I can confidently say that McCall is one of the most compelling makers in New Zealand dance at the moment. Hell, she's one of the most compelling makers in any form in this country.

The show is "about" queer parenting, and the psychological and philosophical quandaries of queer propagation. It sounds like heady stuff, and it's remarkably complex material to tackle, but McCall's work is so visceral and accessible that it's immediately clear what she's doing. The Bloom leans into body horror, science fiction, and dark comedy without ever stumbling or losing sight of its point. I remain obsessed with a photocopier-cum-fridge-cum-computer that makes up the main literal set piece of the show; so integral it might as well be a performer in its own right.

Since I saw it a week ago, I've been thinking about what it means to be a millennial artist. I'm pretty squarely right in the middle of the millennial generation, and despite my best efforts, my frame of cultural reference remains largely in that generation. The work I create and my lens on the world is undoubtedly impacted by that.

While millennial can often feel like a pejorative term (hell, with the right intonation, any generation can sound pejorative), The Bloom felt like a millennial show in the best way. The music, the images, and the ideas come from someone firmly in my own generation. It felt like a show from an artist who has lived, who has had time to think and process on their lived experiences, and can use their frame of reference to communicate them to us. It's the kind of show that can only been made with time, and frankly, with life lived.

Other Things I've Consumed

• I've played the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo, and I'm about to dive into the second part after I post this. If you know me at all, you know that this game is literally my event of the year, and the demo bodes especially well, continuing the first game's mission to expand and illustrate on the original game. (My favourite bit: the clear 90s design of the silos inside the Mako Reactor.)
• Few people on this planet make me as happy as Nicole Byer, so I was delighted to come home after rehearsal one night and find that she had posted a full special's worth of crowd work on YouTube. It is, as always, delightful, abut also shows Byer's sheer mastery of the craft.
• The Woman King is a very good film that I had not seen! Popcorn movie, actually about something, with a killer performance from Viola Davis (but actually even moreso from Lashana Lynch, who I would like to see in more non-Marvel things).
• I continue to make my way through the 21st season of Family Guy. In one episode, Stewie runs for class president but ends up almost losing because his opponent reveals that his conception was an accident. Never fear, Chris shows Stewie a video of him being conceived and he wins the race. This show is not good for my brain, body or soul.
• I watched Jennifer Lopez's This is Me... Now the other night and... let's just say Saturday's post is gonna be a doozy.

Weekly Round-Up

• I have had barely any time to read anything this week, for reasons that the next section will make clear, but I found this update on the recent shifts from the New Zealand International Film Festival helpful and deeply concerning.
• Tributes for Efeso Collins have been quite rightly flowing across the political spectrum, but if there's one you read, make it Madeleine Chapman's over at The Spinoff.

Self-Promo

• We opened The Perfect Image this week, and I could not be prouder of it. In case you missed it, it's a queer rom-com being performed as part of Auckland Pride that I've written and directed. It's on until Saturday and if you're in Auckland, you should definitely come see it.
• If you're in Wellington, Lads on the Island is on until next Saturday! It's a comedy about friendship, and I can promise magic, music and three tremendous performances at the centre (courtesy of Reon Bell, Finley Hughes and Bronwyn Ensor). I, also, could not be prouder of it.
• My first paid post was about queer parenting, based on my experience being interviewed for First Trimester. Check it out!

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