What if your quarter-life-crisis came with a soundtrack? And what if that soundtrack was quirky, catchy, witty, and fun showtunes? Sign us up!
Created and performed by Rachel Tunaley (in collaboration with Sean Donehue), Motion Sickness is a riot of a one-person show about solo travel and so much more.
Rachel is looking to move onwards and upwards. It’s time to leave behind her numerous car accidents, her home, her job, and it’s time to ‘Get the fuck out of Wattle Glen’. Like almost any young Australian, the answer seems to be an overseas trip of a lifetime. Things don’t always turn out how you think however, and Rachel’s marvellous journey to find herself comes with some unexpected bumps.
In this jam-packed, 55-minute original cabaret, the audience is treated to high-energy storytelling, humorous songs, and even a recurring late night talk show segment. Tunaley cleverly interweaves moments of hilarity with deeper messages of self-reflection before hitting the audience with more fun. The original songs are very situation specific but also with a broad appeal and relatability.
Anyone who has travelled will know the ‘Instagram-worthy’ raved-about sights may be entirely different to experience in person, a feeling perfectly captured in ‘My Heat Rash in Monaco’. Or perhaps your travel pics aren’t quite what you expected, and you can relate more to the acoustic ballad of ‘Bangs In The Wind’. The songs contain references both musically and lyrically to pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Charli XCX, and musicals such as Pippin. Considering the themes of the show of finding where the real important things in life lie, the Pippin reference was even more appreciated.
I also liked the use of the various visuals used, shown on a projector screen as the backdrop of the stage. It was the perfect, yet simple, way to go through each location that we follow Rachel to. Lighting was also done well and appropriately matched to the mood of each song and scene.
For anyone who has done some solo travel, whether it be the Aussie rite-of-passage UK gap year, a backpacking Asia adventure, a “discover yourself” trail, or any other quarter-life-crisis moment like Rachel, then this show will have much for you to connect to. We may not have personally met all the people in Rachel’s travels but oh boy, do we know the types! She characterises the typical hostel residents and numerous Australians-in-Europe perfectly.
The show culminates in the title song ‘Motion Sickness’ and perfectly bookends the chapter of seeking yourself both at home and abroad. Tunaley owns the good, the bad, and all in between that is simply ‘life’, asking the audience to not write her off just yet (unlike her car).
Tunaley is a ball of energy performing, never stopping in the delivery of all parts of the show. The fast pace was occasionally almost overwhelming, with the sheer amount of lyrics to process in a short time quite a feat. There is clearly a lot of thought gone into the writing of the show in general as well as in the lyrics, with many clever wordplays to be found. Tunaley has so fully put herself into this performance, and the payoff is a delightful evening of constant giggles and tunes.
In her own words, “It’s stupid, it’s camp, it’s painfully a true story”. Rachel Tunaley is fantastic and Motion Sickness is an upbeat lesson in not taking life so seriously.
Motion Sickness is currently playing as part of Melbourne Fringe at the Chinese Museum until Sunday October 6th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/motion-sickness
https://www.instagram.com/racheltuna