XXXO Adelaide College of the ARTS Until 18 Mar 2012 Review by Brian Godfrey “XXXO”: what a strange and intriguing title! The production is even stranger – but not that intriguing. It speaks volumes when one’s ‘plus one’ spends the entire time looking at the lighting rig and states at the end “Boy, am I glad that you’re writing the review for this”. Two performers (Nathalie Marie Verbeke and Charlotte De Bruyne) sit in front of two laptops and present the audience with photos of themselves and then film clips, YouTube videos and script files containing dialogue from such things as “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “Sex & The City” and (believe it or not!) “Home And Away” (these last performed in the actors’ natural Belgian accents). “Why?” you may ask – this reviewer is still asking the same thing! Apparently it all has to do with what makes us cry and being dehumanised through our ever growing electronic world. A clever idea, but the message is incredibly blurred until the last few moments, and the interaction between the actors and the film clips seem under-rehearsed – which may or may not be intentional. At one point on the night reviewed, one of the performers seemed to have difficulties clicking on the correct file (motto: don’t file “Medea” under Shakespeare!). What really jolts and is extremely disturbing is hearing the final phone messages made by highjack victims aboard the planes involved in the 9/11 tragedy and watching a woman dying and in pain in a street somewhere; and having these mimicked by the performers. This cannot, in any way, be considered entertainment - it borders on just plain sick! What makes me cry? Losing an hour of my life watching “XXXO”. Rating: 1 star (out of 5)