What do you get when you combine Elon Musk, space voyages, the question of gender and sexuality with aerial acrobatics? An unexpected but equally captivating spectacle! “A spectacle of herself”, a solo performance with Laura Murphy (pronouns: they/she), directed by Ursula Martinez, is a captivating piece that doesn’t give you time to catch your breath. It is raw, it is relatable, it stays with you and makes you question both, the reality and the society you live in.
The performance begins in a dimly lit room in which the backdrop is barely visible. The stage, a microphone stand in front of a transparent screen, framed on the left and right by a curtain. Behind it is a black wall and a rope dangling from the ceiling. The audience sits opposite it on platforms and beanbags. A video projection can be seen, showing a person made up as a clown lip synching a speech about social norms and codes, with the speaker’s voice sounding somewhat condescending, only to be abruptly interrupted by the playing of “The Planets, Mars”. As soon as it begins, the volume is either extremely amplified or deliberately not adjusted, perhaps to jolt the audience. Simultaneously, Laura Murphy enters the scene and immediately begins an erratic dance that caught my attention. They interact with the music and the beat until it finally stops playing. The performance then transitions into an acrobatic performance on the rope, which leads into a monologue in front of the audience and the microphone stand on the left side of the stage.
Murphy starts to list things they like, such as Judith Butler, outer space, sex toys and compliments on their arse. Although it was to be expected, the following silence only ends when a person in the front row compliments them. Another thing they mention is wanking, which will be a recurring element alluded to in various ways, both visually and verbally. Moving the microphone stand to the right side of the stage, they then list things they don’t like, such as the current British government and the royal family, and call them “cunts”. Especially as the term is widely seen as derogatory, it’s all the more interesting to hear them rant about the taboo of the term while acknowledging and ignoring its origin. At the end of the monologue and rant, they place a hoverboard on stage. They get on it and begin to ride from one side of the room to the other. In addition, Murphy begins to lip-sync a speech by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., presumably at a press conference. In this excerpt, he confidently, almost arrogantly, describes aspects of Tesla cars such as their supposed superiority and emphasises the importance of the brand for the future in a euphemistic and salesy way.
Later in the performance, another speech is lip-synced, but this time accompanied by a balloon that’s inflated on stage with a pump. The expansion of the balloon and the masturbation or, as Murphy puts it, “wanking” gesture make it clear what it’s supposed to remind us of. Appropriately, or ironically, Musk’s speech also alludes to sex and penises, emphasising the length of Space X’s (another Musk enterprise) spaceships and the “thrust” they need to move. The scene culminates in the balloon which Murphy simultaneously inflates and rubs, flying horizontally away from the pump, resembling a rocket at take-off and indicating a climax. The use of Elon Musk quotes, especially as a recurring segment with parallels in both, hints at the performer’s view of Elon Musk as a public person, even if it is very obvious given all the mockery.
Throughout the performance, Laura Murphy presents us with social and gender norms, only to deconstruct them. Using a Diet Coke advertisement as an example, they brilliantly demonstrate their acrobatic and storytelling skills. Framed by a retro TV, the advertisement from the 90’s is shown in the upper left corner of the screen. It’s set in an office, centred on several ‘conventionally attractive’ women sitting at their desks, eagerly awaiting something. The highlight of the advertisement, a ‘conventionally attractive’, muscular man drinking a Diet Coca Cola, has previously been described as a “hot hunk”. However, here comes a twist: Just as the attractive man is about to appear on screen he is replaced by an impressive rope performance by Laura Murphy themselves.
Murphy effortlessly manages to take us through space and its mysteries, womenhood, femininity and the impact of patriarchy and societal norms on people perceived as fe/male. With an amazing stagecraft, the performance is never too dull, with unexpected twists, just the right amount of mockery, critique and cynicism and a very personal note that makes it relatable for female- and non-female read viewers alike.