INTERVIEW: Benjamin Quirk spills on his latest "CRUSH" at The Blue Room Theatre
We had a chat with Benjamin Quirk, the creative force behind "CRUSH," an upcoming production at The Blue Room Theatre, showing from 24 to 27 January. This one-man show, a first for Quirk, promises a blend of humour and personal storytelling, reflecting on the roller-coaster emotions of having a crush on someone. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on the show's inspiration, the universal appeal of its story, and more:
Q: What is the premise of CRUSH?
Benjamin: CRUSH looks at the dramatic lengths we’re willing to go to in the pursuit of love. It considers the glorious highs and devastating lows of crushing on someone, which can lead to total self-annihilation. The show is really about examining the emotional toll of our desires and the choices we make in honor of them.
What is the inspiration behind the show, and its significance to you personally?
Benjamin: A lot of the material in the show is born out of my own experiences, the good and the bad. I really just use them as a jumping-off point to explore these greater ideas of desire and love. My approach has been to embrace the embarrassing, embrace being earnest, and believe that my background and point of view is something of value, and makes for an interesting show.
CRUSH looks like it’s going to have some comedic elements with deep emotional themes. How would you describe the “genre” and tone of the show?
Benjamin: I would definitely say on the whole it’s a comedy show. Does it sometimes go to a dark or very introspective place? Absolutely! But I think everything is funny once the shame wears off, so even in those deeper emotional moments, there’s always a layer of humour that prevails. That makes the tone of the show kind of hard to describe. It’s really a balancing act of joy and pain, but I mean, isn’t everything?
What sets CRUSH apart from other theatrical productions you’ve been involved in?
Benjamin: This is my first solo show, and the first time I’m performing my own writing. I’ve done some earlier developments of CRUSH, but this will be its most expanded, completed version. It’s a very new experience, which is obviously daunting but ultimately so exciting. I just feel grateful to get to put out something original and be trusted to wear so many different creative hats in the process. It’s heaven.
How do you hope audiences will react or connect with the show?
Benjamin: I hope the audience can see themselves in the work. Of course, it’s very specific to me but I think specificity breeds universality and so I hope they can connect and relate to the beautiful absurdity that a crush can muster in all of us. I love hearing people's own crush stories, so I hope they share them with me after the show.
As the subject matter expert in the art of crushing on someone - what advice would you give to someone who is crushing hard?
Benjamin: I’m addicted to this question. I would say lean in; life is better when you do. Crushes remind us that we’re alive and our hearts are beating, so really who could ask for anything more? Maybe it will end well, maybe it won’t, but I think it’s better to have tried and let yourself feel something big than not at all.
What are some theatre shows you’ve really enjoyed recently/last year?
Benjamin: I thought Everything Flickers was really special, and I also loved Much Stuff. They both played at The Blue Room last year. I also saw Catherine Cohen over in Melbourne and that was literally a dream come true.
“CRUSH” is showing at The Blue Room Theatre from 24th to 27th of January. Get your tickets here!
