Art in the time of political contests, climate crisis, rising inequality, a global rightward backsliding – what should it look like? How many costume changes do we still have time for on a burning planet? Though there have always been political shows at the fringe, just as there are leaves on a forest floor, this year’s crop displays a heightened awareness around how art-making and power intersect.
Take, for instance, This is Not a Show About Hong Kong (Underbelly, ★★★★). In a harrowing feat of physical theatre, four actors perform a series of vignettes about the psychological realities of living under an oppressive state, as well as Hong Kong’s long, contested history in the shadow of great powers. A couple scream at each other over a false pregnancy; bodies become oysters to be shucked for pearls. The show’s use of the allegorical veil is a masterstroke, sharpening the focus without blunting the pain.
