Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Irene Mitchell Studio

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Posted 2022-12-02 by Ann about Town ⇒ follow

Tue 22 Nov 2022 - Sun 27 Nov 2022

I was super excited about seeing Gruesome Playground Injuries, a Melbourne theatre production directed by Erica Chestnut.Firstly, the premise sounded both hilarious and incredibly sweet. Plus the marketing posters produced by the innocuous-sounding Little Ray of Sunshine team did nothing to deter me from believing this would be anything but a delightful schoolyard romp. This show was not for the faint-hearted.

From their first meeting in the school sick bay at the tender age of 8, the pair prove to be at best, unhygienic and at worst, disgusting. Kayleen is a hypochondriac and Doug is an accident-prone individual sporting a particularly gruesome head wound which Kayleen promptly inserts her fingers into, with minimal prompting. This sets off a bizarre chain of events that continues through their teen and adult years with Doug firm in his belief that Kayleen's touch has healing powers.

Reminiscent of One Day and Love, Rosie , Gruesome Playground Injuries by Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Rajiv Joseph astutely showcases the myriad of emotional and physical scars that can accumulate over the course of a 30 year tumultuous relationship. Heartfelt and emotionally charged, this darkly funny production with its stellar cast and flawless direction is one to watch.