The Femme Commandments, with poetry written by Nikki Viveca accompanied by Kitty San Pedro on violin, slaps down the rules of being a woman and reminds us how society thinks we are doing them wrong.
This show breaks your heart but does so in such a way that makes you feel like your heart is broken into a pool with every other woman’s. Vivcea's poems make you want to grab onto the woman next to you and tell her that everything is okay and this isn’t the reality we live in, when really you sit there playing back every real-life encounter you share with her.
The Femme Commandments is cabaret-style poetry reading accompanied by a violinist who elevates and exposes deeper emotions within each piece. Vivace and San Pedro have you laughing and crying and wishing she writes a poetry book so that it can be pulled apart, highlighted and passed around to everyone (cough cough, the males we know) we know, to give them written work of what it is like to live as a women in this world.
The microphone gave out towards the end of the show but perhaps wasn’t necessary throughout; the acoustics of the last poem set a different, more deliberate tone. Super effective use of lighting and sound throughout, and the beautiful costumes and set provided the perfect ambience for the show.
This show is unique; these actors are special and the space feels special. See The Femme Commandments, but take some tissues and a buddy, and grab a glass of red while you’re there.
The Femme Commandments is playing at Theatre Works: Explosives Factory as part of the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival until October 21st. Tickets and further information can be found here.