This play follows the lives of creative artist Birdie and her eccentric sexually liberated friend Kitty Dollparts as they discuss the issues surrounding the porn industry. What is particularly impressive about this production is the fact that the topic is covered in such a way that is not only very easily understandable but also does not aim to shame anyone about their searching history. As Birdie and Kitty have contrasting views on the industry the audience see a very interesting and honest conversation about this art-form including a very interesting discussion about shame and how making people making feel bad about what they watch will only have a negative effect on not only individuals self-confidence but also the types of videos they watch. However, the fundamental purpose of this entire production is to influence the audience to think more about the industry as a whole, with the intention of people moving towards more ethical and fair content. With a fairly limited run time (at around fifty minutes), the unique content of the show and the fact that it is essentially a one-person production, this show would work perfectly in a fringe-style showcase, as Rhiannon Lucy Bird can easily carry the show from venue to venue with ease. Those who have been lucky enough to have seen the incredible puppet based musical Avenue Q will know that this show is known for establishing a form of ventriloquism where the puppeteers are very obviously visible and make no effort to hide the fact that they are in control of the puppets by making no attempt to hide the fact they are the ones creating the voice. This show not only paid tribute to this iconic piece of musical theatre but made the inclusion of this style make perfect sense as the two characters (namely Kitty and Birdie) are two separate characters with their own contrasting views of the porn industry. Throughout this production, we see Kitty grow and develop as the medium of puppetry adapts and changes. The opening moments of the show Kitty is presented simply as a sock puppet and as the show progresses she transforms into a marionette style puppet and then in a human sized puppet which I assume was a representation of how the character has aged and the range of experiences that influenced the sex-positive puppet in their views of industry.
It was clear to the audience that Rhiannon Lucy Bird used this opportunity to showcase their wide array of talents throughout the production. Apart from the obvious demonstration of ventriloquism skills by bringing to life a variety of objects, including Kitty herself and a villainous laptop (which is in its own right a very difficult thing to accomplish, and you can learn more about the trials of ventriloquism by watching our interview with the incredibly talented Landon Harvey at https://youtu.be/yJ8lJMScwSM?si=Hj4VcmY9bdAxGXc0) The audience was also treated to a marionette-style sequence with a miniature Kitty puppet as well as a series of unique musical numbers, complete with wonderful singing/dancing, live painting with a dildo and even a display of incredible audience interactions throughout. This expose style show possessed a plethora of moments where audience members were invited into the stage to share collective anonymous thoughts of the pornography industry from other audience members as well as a sequence where a microphone is passed around the audience as every person shares a collection of cringe-inducing porno titles which was equal part hilarious but also showcased the radicalisation on fetish/category labelling that had the audience thinking about the distribution of such videos and how ethical the industry truly is. Given that this was essentially a one person production one would assume that the pressure was already immense as … was solely responsible for ensuring the show runs well but Rhiannon Lucy Bird did not appear phased in the slightest but the pressure of encompassing all these complex skills went to show how insanely talented they truly is as every section was highly entertaining and interesting to watch.
One of my personal highlights of the entire production happened in the earlier sections as Bird (played by Rhiannon Lucy Bird) performs a sort of reverse strip-tease as they get into their costume for the rest of the show. This included classic burlesque style floor work, glove ‘un’reveals and general sensual dancing, all of which I had not seen before, but I am sure that this will inspire countless performances in the cabaret world going forward as the audience loved every single second! This sequence allowed Rhiannon to show the audience their dance-based abilities (but more on that later) and instantly showed that the performer is clearly a very multi-talented performer! As discussed in previous reviews, I have only fairly recently been introduced to the world of burlesque (which you can read about my first exposure to this art form at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/19/del-lightful-debuts-performance-review/) but it is clear that Rhiannon Lucy Bird clearly has a passion and talent for this genre as the moments in this routine themself were a considerate tribute but also seeing someone bring a unique and almost totally inverted presentation of this style of dance was very interesting!
The closing moments of the show saw Kitty take to the stage to showcase an unseen routine that they had been working on. All of a sudden, the iconic WAP by Cardi B and Megan The Stallion began blasting through the speakers at Porter’s, but something was different…. The creatives of this show had decided to cleverly mash together the highly suggestive WAP with the legendary Bohemian Rhapsody, which in principle should not work due to the clashing genres, but in reality, they fitted together flawlessly. As previously discussed, it is clear that Rhiannon is obviously a very talented dancer as they led the puppet through a series of sensual dance movements, including a clever strip tease that had the audience in hysterics throughout the performance. In a sort of nod to Avenue Q Kitty was performing her unseen routine alongside her handler (for obvious reasons) but Birdie was visibly disgruntled and uncomfortable throughout which not only made for a hilarious performance but also made sense through a narrative perspective as the two of them had spent the entirety of the show arguing about the ethics of pornography. This routine could easily be fleshed out into a fully fledged performance in its own regard, and I personally could see it fitting into any cabaret/burlesque show (specifically a Del Fflur show, the most recent of which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/09/09/del-lightful-debuts-pride-special-2024-production-review/)
In conclusion, Kitty Dollparts and other performing objects are a unique production that explores the often hidden side of the phonographic industry with an array of mediums to ensure every single audience member reflects on the effect this industry has on its performers. Rhiannon goes above and beyond to make sure the message of the show is not missed by anyone in the audience by showcasing their dance, vocal, puppeteering and art-based talents, all while maintaining the audience’s attention in this one-person production. I definitely see potential for aspects of this production taking to the stage at any cabaret/burlesque style show, with the topic being accessible to any mature audience. I would rate this production 4.5 stars out of 5!
Rhysreviews 