Based on the
Australian con artist Belle Gibson (BBC's Bad Influencer), 'A Suffocating Choking Feeling' by digital theatre company TomYumSim
examines the subversive Instagram Influencer generation, and the fractured
narratives we force our followers to believe.
Belle Gibson told her Instagram followers that she has cancer and through carefully choreographed videos, and breadcrumbing images to fans, Gibson became Australia’s first bigtime wellness advocate by overcoming multiple cancers through thought management, diet and exercise. The Australian wellness industry makes around 7 billion Australian dollars a year and she made millions from fraudulent charity claims, apps and releasing a cookbook with publishers Apple and Penguin.
'A Suffocating Choking Feeling' is about Simone Hamilton who wants to be a star, darling, and over the course of an hour, we have already recognised this singer’s tale. Rags to riches. Sob story to fame. The Cinderella story we are accustomed to. Hamilton isn’t particularly special, she has a good voice but is sick of the old white man patriarchy story embedded within the music industry, and she wants to fast-track her success, and she does this by telling the world she has cancer and lots of it.
Through the voyeurism of Zoom, Simone French skilfully and sensitively navigates the creeping, serpentine and desperate decline of self, through social media and technology, and she is brilliant!
The fascination with trends, fame and likability, and the heightened yearning for validation, French and Halls exhibit the interior self-indulgent monologue of one’s despairing attempt to be seen, by curious search engine answers and curating mood boards of famous stars, Hamilton works hard to prove the façade is working in her favour when her Instagram followers increase, live videos become more overshared, notifying us about the mundane minute details as if she thinks we care, which we do in a strange addictive Reality TV show kind of way, forcing us to believe she is very important, and she must be seen, and that this particular lipstick which she hopes Revlon will sponsor her for, is amazing.
Audiences can interact with Hamilton through Zoom’s chatbox, which French responds quick-wittingly, reassuringly and prepared. As Gibson was prepared to answer questions in interviews, French is a little looser and relishes the compliments and nastiness demonstrated in the chat. What really stands out throughout the whole performance is Tom Hall’s composition of visuals, video effects and transitions which levels up this fringe show to an extraordinarily level to contemporary edgy TV series standards.
A particular highlight of the performance is an astounding put together musical number that Hamilton performs with a blend of online streaming and live performance, in what seems to be an impossible performance in a variety of locations. You are swept up in a whirlwind of Hamilton’s over-sexualised and hyper-normal fantasy of self all whilst not losing her breath - French’s vocals are insane.
The wild panto of live interactivity, the love and hate which is manifested by the audience throughout the performance, hits home when French reveals some truths about her own social media use. The experimental-performance-duo forbodes the true fortunes of the vulnerable being sold pseudoscience.
Simone French and Tom Halls use influencer culture to parody social media and very successfully blur the boundaries of themes, such as, responsiveness, obsession, authenticity and our moral compass.
Belle Gibson was eventually convicted and fined to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, but as we acknowledge social media is an appearance we build for others which we know is ultimately fake. At the end of this production we are left asking ourselves: how can social media benefit me beyond likes and followers, advertising and algorithms?
Reviewer - Susanna Amato
on - 25.8.21
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