Chasing the Lollyman

Chasing the Lollyman
La Mama. July 14 - 18

Chasing the Lollyman was written and performed by Mark Sheppard, and directed and co-devised by Liz Skitch. The show opened with a disclaimer that it contained a “skinny, camp, Murri man” which set the tone for the evening.

The programme describes the show as “a combination of stories, opinions and feelings about [Sheppard’s] identity as an urban Aboriginal man.” Sheppard’s inclusion of traditional dance and ‘Finding Your Inner Aboriginality: Aboriginal Language’ had me expecting a humorous and educational show, but something missed the mark.

Yes, there were moments of thought-provoking activism, but they were few and far between the mirror ball segues and penis gags. The first time I felt that Sheppard might touch on something a little meatier (Catholic missions), he ended up on the phone to Jesus, asking if Heaven had noticed him behind the bike shed with other boys.

Sheppard is obviously an intelligent writer and talented performer – he has trained at both the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts - and both skills could have been applied more successfully to this show. For example, he could have taught us a more practical word than Muh! (‘Can you believe it?’), and achieved a better result without the need for a fart joke.

The tale of the lollyman as a symbol of community and Sheppard’s closing speech as ‘Australia’s First Aboriginal Prime Minister’ were definitely inspiring but not enough to tie the show’s disparate stories together.

Ian Nisbet
 

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