“A thousand lights will flicker all around,” croons Lucy Fuller on her nightclub podium. We want to believe her, but don’t all show-tunes (the play’s title included) seem to wince at a repressed sadness? Her grin is too wide; this is a reluctant sob story, where the scene of a death comes gabbled in a single, strangulated breath. Actress Jessica Butcher animates this sparse script, where the only truths lie in motion, her playful waltz degenerating into a nauseous spinning. The breathtaking ending rejects all the doom in a way that’s sugar-free, just as airless as everything before it. We would expect no more from Lucy, who is all hard, shiny sequins (“I’m a biter”). I left still holding my breath slightly.

Underbelly, until 30 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Sarah Murphy]