I Want To Be Happy is more disturbing than happy and perhaps not suited to anyone mentally fragile.
Despite the premise being communication between a guinea pig and scientist there is very little interactive dialogue, it takes phenomenal acting to carry a scene without a partner to bounce lines off or even face. Jennifer Ludlam as Blinka and Joel Tobeck as Paul manage to bring a seriousness to an often amusing situation, though both are effectively talking to themselves.
Unfortunately the 70 minute show seemed to drag, perhaps due to the many scene changes or the dark content. Differences in space and size are handled very well, a human sized animal on a part of the stage and a mechanical rodent sized one on another. The underlying message may be about the plight of animals used in experimentation or that simply we're all animals when it comes down to it.
Tickets: $55
Performances: 6-30 September (times vary)
