Review - The Time Is Now: something different, new, and interesting

By Nahima Kern

The Time Is Now

Co-created by Ari Palani, Aleea Monsour, David Burton with La Boite Young Artist Company, and developed by All the Queens Men

La Boite

Kelvin Grove

Brisbane

Season: runs until June 5. Duration: 70 minutes without interval. Bookings: https://laboite.com.au/shows/the-time-is-now

Thirty years ago, the UN created On the Rights of the Child. This treat sought to change the lives of children everywhere for the better. However, not only was this document written entirely by adults, but no children were consulted in its making.

This is where The Time is Now comes in. The Time is Now is a celebration of childhood, immaturity, and a right to be heard.

Led by a fully teen-aged cast, and one adult cameo that changes every night, this is a show that gave audiences a taste of the future. It wasn’t theatre, but in between the lines and speeches about freedom, lived experiences of tragedy and loss, and ice-cream, there was a glimpse of what the future of theatre might be.

The ten teens, Omalkire Akil Ahmed, Huda Akhlaki, Jessica Boyd, Joe Cranitch, Sophia Ferreira da Luz, Diali Kemp, Rachel Kennedy, Zander Pynenburg, Carys Walsh, and Fujia Sarah Xu all had things to say, and said it they did, with power and grace.

There were elements to this production that were a little jarring. For example, the pace and volume at which the young actors spoke often changed and made it hard to hear. There was an apparent lack of cohesion to the order of the speeches and movements between them. It’s not apparent if the order will change every night to make it more dynamic, but as it stands it feels chaotic.

Despite these elements The Time is Now is worth watching if only to see something different, new, and interesting. The audience met the show with enthusiasm and resounding applause at the end of the night, so it’ll be interesting to see the reaction to this new and interesting show as a whole.