Lilith: The Jungle Girl

Dr Charles Penworth and his assistant Helen Travers are brain surgeons in Holland in 1861. Work is carrying along as usual when a live delivery from newly explored Borneo presents them with a subject for their experiments. Might this creature be human? It seems so. Christened Lilith, her transformation from savage to civilian comments on colonialism, immigration and group dynamics.

Australian company Sisters Grimm use absurdity to great effect. Lilith, naked and painted pink, is male-bodied though Penworth determines she is female. Heightened performances and witty dialogue in an exaggerated Victorian world mock lingering attitudes of dominion over other nations, and drag and gender serve this performance style particularly well.

Marg Horwell’s entirely plastic-clad set is another strong creative choice. It deliberately inhibits the movement of the three performers, who clumsily slide over the surfaces made slick with Lilith's body paint. The world they inhabit, while ridiculous, highlights dangerous attitudes of superiority we still see today.

The script loses its way near the end, but the concept is generally strong and consistent enough to hold the play together. It tries to do too much, though. As well as the primary themes, Lilith also looks at feminism, gender, bodily autonomy and the characters’ personal relationships. Though the story balances humour and the horror of human history well, it leans too heavily on the laughs. Lilith: The Jungle Girl has a strong, clear concept but is at times overwhelmed by the number of issues it tries to address.