Public, The Musical
18 March 2023
Vault Festival
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
PUBLIC the musical has an unusual premise. Four strangers find themselves locked into a gender-neutral public toilet. They have to wait for an hour until they will be freed by the maintenance team, but until then they entertain themselves by getting to know each other despite their extreme differences.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this musical, but it definitely surpassed anything I could have predicted. The group of four random people is indeed very diverse, from a young activist influencer, to a staunch cis man who doesn’t understand this new world, there’s something for everyone. While it at first seems like the one straight man will be villainised in this setting, it takes a very different direction!
Going through strong emotions due to their predicament, all four characters are put through their paces, having to confront their reasons for being there, and what is going on in their lives at the time. From loud outbursts as nerves are frayed and patience grows thin, they each reveal personal details that draw complex lives in front of our eyes. Each individual is treated with respect and dignity in this powerful musical, despite or perhaps because of their flaws.
A touching, fantastic performance, I cannot wait to see what this work in progress develops into and hope it receives a very wide audience eventually!