A Year Without Summer (RISING) - Florentina Holzinger review

I read Stephen A Russell’s A Year Without Summer review and I wanted to share my counterpoints.

“Holzinger herself delivers an unenthusiastic opening monologue” - ‘Holzinger herself’ is actually Netti Nuganen (thanks for the fact-check, FH). The critique of Netti’s tone being unenthusiastic is odd: I interpreted her as solemn and respectful. Perhaps a vaudevillian-style introduction to this work about medicine, humanity and death would be more appropriate? Please hold - I must remove my tongue from my cheek.

“…lingers on well past its welcome - an inherent problem with great swathes of A Year Without Summer” - lingering and repetition is Florentina’s hallmark and a well-employed dramatic device. Many scenes made me squirm in my seat because they were held for far beyond what felt comfortable. I’ll argue they desensitise the audience as time passes.

Only one person from the front seating area left the theatre, around seven minutes into the opening scene. The orgy built to a crescendo, as one might hope 😉. The repetition eroded the judgment and giggles from the audience.

For context, I saw Florentina’s previous work, A Divine Comedy three years ago at Dark Mofo. Dozens of people walked out in disgust, before we even hit the tenth minute. The foyer after the show was a roaring cacophony of debate and disgust. After the onslaught, I needed to neck a few beers and some quiet time to integrate.

Comparatively, A Year Without Summer ramped the obscene more gradually than A Divine Comedy. Repetition is a heavy-handed device, but it might also be a necessary one. It activates comprehension and compassion towards triggering content.

A case study: during the messy finale, everyone in the splash zone (except me) remained seated while gag-inducing props were flung at them. That is a remarkable audience transformation compared to the giggling and whispering punters, just two hours prior. An excrement-laden piece of toilet paper was hurled six rows deep and despite shrieks and howling, no-one bolted for the exit, let alone left their seat.

“Sadly, Holzinger can’t help but labour this genuinely affecting sequence” - a naked and disabled performer wearing a Swastika effectively compounded a handful of raw truths. The jarring human stories had tears welling in my eyes. The woman who shared her story of trying to navigate a broken medical system explained her medical records were “lost.”

Later, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and lost the ability to walk. She joked about our very human disposition to hereditary diseases. When the cast chimed in with their own stories, it was a symphony of truth delivered in jest.

In summary, Florentina - I salute you. Please keep creating, it’s inspiring and the world needs it. I travelled interstate to see your performance and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Five stars.