“The Power of the Fucking Rainbow”, Werk X-Petersplatz, Vienna
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli in Austria
28 September 2022
Werk X-Petersplatz have kicked off the new season with the world premiere of Lukas Johne’s first full-length play The Power of the Fucking Rainbow which is presented in co-operation with Pierced Heart. Tania Golden directs. The play is performed in English since two protagonists are Americans.
The ensemble. Photo credit: Alex Gotter.
The play gives an insight into the life of four individuals the night before the final Life Ball, an annual charity ball dedicated to Aids. Burt, an American but of Austrian heritage (his parents fled to the United States during the War), is visiting his sister Elsa in Vienna. She is lesbian and expecting a child from Gery, a single gay man. Finally, there is Sasha Burt who is straight but bi-curious. She accompanies Burt to the Life Ball. As Sascha and Burt are getting ready to go the ball, Elsa and Gery start a discussion on queerness, cultural identities and politics. This leads to many insecurities and never ending conversations but in a good way which engages the audience.
The sets by Domink Freyschlag are made up of furniture and a wall dividing two rooms with an open door to allow actors to go from one room to the other which gives a clear sense of how the characters interact physically. On top of the wall, there is a screen that is used for projection. These monologues sometimes work as they show how the characters are feeling but for the most part, they do not add anything to the production.
The cast consists of Suzanne Carey as Elsa who brings a lot of depth to her role, Alan Burgon as Gery, a character who is determined and possessed of a winning humour as well as Joshua Murphy in the role of Burt who impresses with his technical abilities throughout, particularly when required to illustrate a transformation from an insecure young man with an identity crisis to becoming a settled Vienna resident. Lastly, Elena Hückel portrays a Sasha who is energetic and free-minded. Hückel is the only non-native speaker in the ensemble but this never poses an issue.
Joshua Murphy as Burt. Photo credit: Alex Gotter.
The chemistry between the four actors is strong; they are a credible set of characters with joint backstories. Towards the beginning of the first act, all four are having a conversation and you immediately see how well they will work as an ensemble. Another strong scene is the conversation between Elsa and Gery when they talk about their future together and speculate about the life prospects of their child.
The ending is slightly abrupt as they fast-forward in time without making any of this particularly clear to the audience. We only see Burt calling his parents to tell them that he and Sasha are expecting a child. In the meantime, Instagram photos of Gery, Elsa and their baby are projected onto the screen to reinforce this.
Lukas Johne is a vibrant new playwright. His characters are likeable and relatable even though it does take time to understand the connections between them. His dialogue tends towards the intense but is leavened by humour. His insights into cultural identities and the LGBT community appear accurate to this reviewer at least and are certainly certainly touching. The idea of setting the story against the backdrop of the final Life Ball works well even if the ending seems abrupt.
Tania Golden introduces many interesting ideas, notably integrating a theme song “One Way or Another” by Blondie with the characters dancing as if they were in the opening sequence of a sitcom. Also, the use of music between each scene works well and helps to define a prevailing mood for the episodes in the story.
Johne’s project here to write a play in English (not his mother tongue) is successful and, given that cultural identities in the Anglosphere is one of the themes covered, it makes perfect sense to have written it in English. The Power of the Fucking Rainbow is an original play with some timeless themes. It’s stimulating that they have been discussed here and the topics will no doubt continue to attract theatre makers in the future.
