★★★★1/2
Adelaide Fringe. The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities. 5 Mar 2025
A chicken by the name Don Murphy (Eva O’Connor), his name attributed to Dónall Ó Conaill, The Liberator, enters the Yurt and surveilles the audience, beady eyes flicking in astoundingly realistic gaze to land on bemused individuals. The Yurts “in the round” setting is a pressure cooker for both performer and audience.
Consistent, incredibly authentic chicken movements, O’Connor’s elaborate costume, red face paint and extraordinary eye make-up render our new fowl friend utterly believable- I bought into it completely!
Don crows and regales the audience members with “I’m only messin’, only windin’ you up!” before launching into the guts of the tale; Don’s is “a simple story,” but, as it is said, the “end is nigh” for all of us in “this claustrophobic place!”
What follows is the extraordinary, if somewhat convoluted, tale of a stoic rooster, who, after almost being crushed in his egg by the woman who was to become his mother, is raised by foster parents Moira and Declan as a strong Irish lad in County Kerry.
Leaving Southwest Ireland, Don experiences the travails of any aspirational actor, albeit a chicken, arriving in New York. Virtually destitute and on the edge of his newfound perch, Don befriends Paulo, a Glaswegian expat pigeon, who takes him under his wing. There are affairs with all manner of humans - Don’s “promiscuous phase”- which is an interesting and amusing narrative device. However, Don’s aspirational association with actors, directors, and producers brings him to encounter ketamine, and addiction follows. Don finds himself again at the edge of his perch, and Paulo again offers solace in the form of a visit to MOMA. There, a gorgeous performance artist, Sadie, a silkie chick from Dallas, catches Don’s eye and he, despite himself, is smitten. One thing leads to another, but it turns out Sadie is not merely a pretty performance artist; she is an activist! Spoilers are not my thing, so I’ll leave the narrative there.
A remarkable solo show, Chicken highlights a whole bunch of systemic issues we are all beset by in a very engaging, humorous way! Are there lots of “cock” jokes? Yes! Is the narrative a little obscure and left field at times? Yes! Is Chicken dull and boring? Absolutely not!
Eva O’Connor is astonishingly good in this unconventional role!
Go! See it!
John Doherty
When: 20 Feb to 9 Mar
Where: The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
