By Jennifer Beasley.
An emerging exceptional talent waiting to take the world by storm, Luella Fitz brings her high energy and insightful commentary in BLI$$ to expose the hidden power of women.
Lilith. She-demon, black moon goddess. In Jewish mythology she was sculptured from the same clay as Adam. In Luella Fitz’s ( luella fitz (@luellllla) • Instagram photos and videos) hands she is re-imagining, a pop star, a trending IT girl. An erased idol.
This 60-minute monologue, held in the creaky upstairs cabaret room at The Motley Bauhaus, where the beer is good and the entertainment fab, heralds the arrival of Luella Fitz, a graduate of VCA (Theatre), and yet another reason why Melbourne is the Hub of Emerging Talent.
Opening with a semi-strip dance show, to reveal a sequenced bikini upon a sequenced stage, Fitz brings a sweet yet sexually confident character, Lilith, as a look-at-me personality. Professing idle statements, ‘I think life is really beautiful. Because it ends’, Fritz’s version of Lilith appears vapid and phone obsessed. Her comments told several times ‘My iPhone is a scrying mirror’ becomes a reoccurring motif of society’s obsession with youth and false truths and helps weave a connecting thread through this piece.
Yet the true nature of Lilith, a symbol of feminine rebellion and authentic desires, leaks through Fritz’s discourse on her remembrance with Adam and her affair with ‘the other’ (in literature it is with the Archangel Samael, the Angel of Death. Lilith could certainly pick them!)
The first half of this production suffers from too much exposition. At 60 minutes this is a long time to hold an audience, and it was not until voice-overs from the internet trolls intervening that the tone lifts. I particularly enjoyed the theatrical elements of puppetry (the Garden of Eden snake) and the blow-up doll. Very funny and Fitz has the audience laughing hard. Her wonderful eye contact also adds to her appeal, drawing everyone in as if revealing a secret.
Fitz’s other recurring motif, her favourite painting, is cleverly woven into the story, adding a wonderful finisher as she wraps up with an autotune Lilith pop song (as Lilith is the shadow of Eve).
This project took a year and a half to writing, and it shows. From my perspective it could be tightened up further, shaving it down to 50 minutes and removing some of the confusing themes. This will strengthen the main themes and no need to introduce hallucinations or anything that distracts from the main message. I also think that breaking the fourth wall, especially at the beginning, would benefit this show (and utilise the sequenced steps onto the stage) and enhance a character who is all about context, being heard, and most importantly, being seen in a society that still refuses to accept feminine power.
Wonderful use of the small stage is down to Ella Crowley, director and AV designer. I did find the sequenced backdrop did not aid in viewing the projections clearly, something that can be looked at in the future. Fitz’s dance moves were over-the-top hysterical, and it adds greatly to the humourous undertone of this performance and a credit to her physicality.
Ella Campbell does a superb job with the costumes. The harem pants and top were very I dream of Genie, another Lilith trope and a subtle nod to the cultural manifestations of Lilith, which also include most Tik Tok influencers, Taylor Swift and every aging female star erased out of existence. Actually, most women and anyone who identifies as a female.
Shayaki Niranjan’s sound and lighting is solid, however more dramatic push at the end with some coloured lights would have elevated the final scene. It’s theatre. Don’t be afraid to push things.
Produced by a skillful Zadie Kennedy McCracken, who is also writing a play with Ella Campbell, and it would be helpful if donations for their upcoming show are made here Artist Project: Everyone Wants To Be Emma. Our creatives need all the help they can get.
Many thanks to my lovely companion (and mother of Zadie’s girlfriend, see, you never know who else parents may know) on the night for this suggestion, I had a great time and encourage everyone to go see the fantastic team in Bli$$,
Bli$$ plays at the The Motley Bauhaus, at 9:40pm until 12th October 2025.
