“What is love?” once asked ‘90s one-hit-wonders Haddaway, plus quite a few poets, authors, filmmakers, and playwrights before them. Well, a joyous new show derailed by the chaos of last year and now finally landing at the Darlinghurst Theatre Company puts the answers firmly in our hands.
I Want To Know What Love Is was devised by Queensland-based performance collective The Good Room. They reach out to everyday folks, asking them the big questions that matter and weave the responses into a spectacular piece of vibrant verbatim theatre. This show gets to the nub of the hubba bub, having already wowed audiences in Melbourne and Brisbane. Members of the public were invited to anonymously submit their stories of love online, accruing some 800 responses. They range from confessions and quirky anecdotes to revelations of heartbreak and recollections of first love. There’s a whole lot of romance, but the important bonds of family also shine bright.
Some of our faves, that you should watch out for? “Love is having sex in unconventional places like a car, while your friends sit on the kerb and watch,” and, “Those three little words changed everything. Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
Amy Ingram, the MC in Magic Mike Live, is co-creator and performs in the ensemble with Katrina Foster, Emily Tomlins and Tom Cossettini. Tickets start at $52, and you can also make a case to pay what you think by emailing jacqueline@darlinghursttheatre.com. This crowdsourced love-in is a wildly joyous ride that you’re gonna want to join in with. It's at Darlo theatre for a week from May 19.
