James Fritz’s The Flea is a wonderfully absurd camp trip through history and the perfect start to the New Theatre’s 2025 Season.
A flea bites a rat, the rat startles a horse, the horse kicks a man… and the man dies. This is where the story begins, and what happens next is a series of events that weaves its wave right up to the crown and forever changes a nation.
The story is ripped from the headlines of the day – a scandal that thrusts Emily Swinscow’s son Charlie to the heart of a royal conspiracy and exposes the secret lives of many of Britain’s upper crust.
Fritz’s writing expertly blends naturalism with the absurd, framing the events and characters of the story in such a way that they couldn’t possibly be real and yet, somehow, each moment is brimming with a mix of grounding honestly and sickly delicious whimsy.
Patrick Kennedy takes on the double duty of director and designer – displaying a cheeky wit and a love of the absurd. Kennedy’s designs are rich and textured, a multi layer wonderland that allows the actors to really play and the work’s story be told with an abundance of wicked joy and melancholy.
There are times however when Kennedy’s direction just doesn’t quite hit the mark – there is a fundamental lack of depth that sadly means that the work often dips into style over substance.
James Collins, Sofie Divall, Samuel Ireland, Jack Elliot Mitchell and Mark Salvestro are a powerhouse ensemble, taking on an endless array of madcap characters and infusing each with unique physicality, a mischievous side eye and subtle pathos that cuts through the overwrought absurdity.
It is rare to find a group of actors more committed, with each performer working hard to serve the story and their characters, while still leaving room to play and engage with their audience, as well as each other.
The soundscape accompanying the work helps to keep the production moving, infusing the story with bursts of Pop Culture flare and eery undertones that draw the sinister themes lurking beneath to the surface.
Topaz Marlay-Cole creates a lighting design that sadly seems at odds with the direction of the work, with many performers becoming poorly lit for the sake of drawing attention to the set. But nevertheless, the moments when the lighting lands, really does truly shine.
With Sydney’s Mardi Gras season just around the corner, The Flea is a very welcome addition to the festival and a must see for audiences.
The Flea
New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown
Season continues to 8 March 2025
Information and Bookings: www.newtheatre.org.au
Images: New Theatre presents The Flea – photos by Chris Lundie
Review: Gavin Roach