This show is a lot of fun. It is great to see two talented, young Australian actresses come out and exuberantly perform a show which they wrote themselves.

The show’s conceit/premise is very clever. Two down on their luck women meet at a Centrelink office. Genevieve Hegney plays Joanne Truebody who is without a job and has left her philandering celebrity husband. Out of desperation, she comes up with the idea that she will set up her own small business, a job agency. Catherine Moore plays Felicity Bacon who hears of her idea and wants to come on board. She wants a change in her life, she is tired of working in her father’s butcher shop. She puts up a contact card in the local supermarket and they can’t believe it, they get their first call…They have to take the job. There’s just one big problem. They don’t have anyone on their books. So what do they decide to do? They take on the job themselves and that sets the precedent.

The show sees them taking on many different jobs, which they are blatantly unqualified for  and yet they somehow improvise their way around it. There are casual teaching gigs, carer gigs (this doesn’t turn out so well!), and, at one time they even play a pair of Lotto balls…There is some karaoke  thrown in for good measure.

It’s comic mayhem as Hegney and Moore ‘milk’ the fanciful premise for all its worth. They do it so confidently which is such a joy to see. There are no flat spots as the show goes from one scenario/job to another at lightning pace.  

Cleverly, they incorporate narrative through-lines for both of their well-drawn  characters. Will Joanne finally be able to move on from her marriage breakdown? She was the one that pulled the plug, but she still loves the guy and follows him on Facebook, forever carrying around her laptop. Will Felicity finally be able to muster up the courage to tell her Dad that she doesn’t want to work in the family butcher shop any more?!

I enjoyed how at first Joanne comes across as the far more imaginative and outrageous character, but we soon find out that Felicity is just as zany. In the end they make a great duo! UNQUALIFIED is about the friendship and camaraderie they develop.

UNQUALIFIED has been sassily directed by Janine Watson. The main feature of Simon Greer’s set design is the back wall is filled with job classified advertisements. There is a bit of a raised platform on the stage for the actors to work with. The main props are  four boxes which the women delve into to get things out of and, at times, also rearrange to create different effects. Greer is also in charge of the costumes with the two women regularly changing outfits during the performance.  Alexander Berlage’s lighting design has some good moment as does Thomas E Moore’s sound design.

This is an unqualified success. Recommended,  UNQUALIFIED is playing the Ensemble Theatre until Saturday 21st July  in repertory with MARJORIE PRIME.

http://www.ensembletheatre.com.au