Undressed to impress
NADJA HAINKE
September 24th, 2010
THE audience is advised to wear its best underwear for this show - it may just be Peeled.
The makers of the psychological burlesque promise the performance is full of black comedy, deftly delivered one-liners, songs and some "punch in the guts twists".
"You too will be peeled," they say.
Peeled tells the story of three women from three different walks of life - Irene has been travelling with a circus for years; school teacher Maureen has become hooked on dating sites and Alison suffers from Alzheimer's.
Solo artist Di Smith has taken on the challenging task of playing all three "larger-than-life characters".
She says the women are in their 50s but aren't what they seem to be.
"The audience is not expecting what it gets," she says.
Smith never leaves the stage to get changed.
The successful actress, who has performed for theatre powerhouses including the Sydney Theatre Company, MTC Malthouse, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, undresses from the inside out in a bid to peel back the fading lives of the three characters.
The veils keep on dropping.
But Smith says: "It's not a strip show. I'm not a spring chicken any more. I still wear a slip."
Smith is best known as Alex Fraser in A Country Practice and as a presenter for The Great Outdoors on Channel Seven.
Film credits include Muriel's Wedding, Emoh Ruo and Charlie and Boots, and she was Anna in the Darlinghurst Theatre production Boston Marriage, performed at the Mardi Grass Festival in 2007.
Psychological burlesque is a new genre for the versatile actress, and it's a challenging one to play, she says.
"It's quite an undertaking, but it's fantastic," she says.
"There is a real dialogue with the audience. It's not like I'm talking to another actor."
Peeled, directed by Drew Fairley and written by Cathy Strickland, will run at Brown's Mart Theatre from September 30 until October 2 at 7pm. Entry costs $20 for adults and $15 for concession.
