Fringe Review: "Less Light" Illuminates the life of Aussie millennials

To torture ourselves with existential questions is a distinctly human endeavor. It is hardwired into us to seek illumination in the dark.  So it seems only fitting that Less Light is a theatrical experience pitched in darkness. With next to no visuals - bar minimal lighting of a keyboard, guitar, and pedal board - local theater company Lazy Yarns seek to spark a light of recognized common humanity between audiences and the stories unfolding around them.

With no costuming, facial expression or body language to see - Less Light is completely buoyed by sound. We cannot see holistic characters, but the stories we hear effectively represent tableaus of modern Australian living. Married to the stories is a live soundtrack by local legend Jacob Diamond. Through intimate 'in the round seating', music is quite literally the centre of the show. The often understated piano and guitar motifs were a highlight that lifted the spoken narrative snippets.

Going into Less Light with the knowledge that Andy Weir's brilliant sci-fi short story 'The Egg' acted as a catalyst for the content and tone, allows you to come away from the show with a deeper meaning. This is not to say that enjoying the theater piece necessitates reading 'The Egg'; in fact, rather than reincarnating Weir's original concept, the Lazy Yarns crew seem to take a new angle and a cosmic step back to focus more on our shared humanity.  

Less Light is a deeply unique theater experience. As I emerged, bleary-eyed from 45 minutes of darkness and ascended the stairs to the State Theatre Foyer, it took my eyes a moment to re-adjust. And isn't that really the point of art? To push us to realign our sight, to look outward, and sometimes inward. Less Light speaks to our commonality and connection as humans. Although it may alienate those over 30 with it's distinctly youth-orientated narratives, it does a good job of speaking to Aussie millennials. If that's you, check it out. You won't see (or hear), anything else like it.

Click here for ticket details.