Queer Farce Lipstick Is Door Slamming Fun!

Doors, doors, doors and slamming doors at that – a necessary feature of a farce and one that builds tension but also releases it and boy oh boy have we got tensions to release! With 2020 being pretty much devoid of theatre or culture or much fun of any kind, a one-act play festival with a diverse range of works on offer seems a delightful way to ease back into the cultural scene and a stand out is the hilarious queer comedy Lipstick, by Lane Stanley which is playing at the NO: INTERMISSION festival from March 24-27 at the Chippen Street Theatre, Chippendale.

Star Observer had a chat with one of the stars of the play, Kevin T S Vun and the first question was to clarify what a farce actually is, for the players at home who don’t know what to expect when they rock up to see Lipstick.

“A farce is typically a comedy, if you think of when you’re watching TV, something that is a bit more accessible, like an American sitcom where things get really outlandish, usually there’s lots of doors involved and lots of characters coming in and out and it just gets crazier and crazier”.

 Lipstick, as part of the NO: INTERMISSION festival is one of the lucky productions that were able to pick up the pieces after COVID and get back to rehearsals, though at the time they got cancelled it felt like they were living in their art Kevin says, “I remember the day we got the call and my heart just sank because I was like, oh no, we’re going to get cancelled and then the next thing that happened was our rehearsal space got taken too so the actual play is a farce but then we felt like we were living the farce for a while!”

Lipstick is a queer farce written by Lane Stanley, a queer playwright from the United States making their Australian debut. Stanley has adapted Lipstick for Australian audiences and I mention to Kevin, who plays the flamboyant Mal, that it must be nice to do something that’s light and fun and he agrees saying, “definitely, I like to have variety in my work so a farce is something that’s good to do once in a while to mix things up”.

Mar 24-27. Chipped Street Theatre, 45 Chippen St, Chippendale. From $27+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.theatretravels.org