seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Oberon Modern Plays)

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In my search for a show trailer, I instead stumbled upon this oh-so-Hollywood report on Jasmine Lee Jones‘ play and fawning over the young reality TV star. ‘Confused by the title… and maybe a little scared’.

Rajah Shakiry’s set consists of a tangled network of ropes, with dozens of strands hanging down on the performers – the multiple threads of social media made tangible. There are moments of visual wit, too, and Elena Peña’s intricate sound design both drives and punctuates the action. For the Royal Court: two Palestinians go dogging, seven methods of killing kylie jenner, Maryland, Living Newspaper, Baghdaddy. seven methods of killing kylie jenner will be available to stream worldwide from Sunday 27 March 2022 – Sunday 17 April 2022.

Cleo wants to kill Kylie Jenner. Her friend Kara just wantsCleo to chill out and stop tweeting elaborate death threats about Insta-celebrities: the title’s ‘Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner’. But for Cleo, the success of 21-year-old ‘self-made millionaire’ Jenner taps into something much deeper. Jasmine Lee-Jones’s powerfully original debut play follows these two female friends having the most blistering, agonising, meme-scattered row of their lives. Nothing’s off-limits, from primary school humiliations to the vast structural privilege that light-skinned women have. Jasmine Lee-Jones won multiple awards for her debut play directed by Milli Bhatia including the Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Most Promising Playwright Awards, and the Alfred Fagon Award. She originally developed as a writer through the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Court programme as part of their commitment to nurturing new voices. Milli Bhatia was previously Trainee Director and Literary Associate at the Royal Court and is now an Associate Director. If this decision by Harris and Enright – neither of whom is a person of colour – was meant as a call to action to increase the diversity of reviewers overall, then great, though this was a misguided way to do it. If it’s because they thought only PoC would understand this show to the level required to offer fair and unbiased criticism, it’s a highly flawed stance. Good critics – irrespective of their lived experience – put their biases to one side and identify what does and doesn’t work in a piece of art.

The internationally acclaimed Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner is electric, must-see theatre. Full of pop culture references and contemporary drama, it speaks to the way that social media impacts our lives. Written by British playwright Jasmine Lee-Jones and co-directed by Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens, this five-star iteration elicits roaring laughter, enthusiastic clapping, quiet gasps and a standing ovation from the captivated audience. We will accept proof of vaccination via Excelsior Pass, the NYC Covid Safe Pass, a copy or photo of your CDC vaccination card, and/or a copy or photo of an official immunization record from outside the United States. As Cleo continues her campaign, the tangled throbbing mess overhanging Rajha Shakiry’s dark set lowers ominously over the heads of the characters – the net is closing in.

In some ways, the downward spiral of the tweet from witty callout to unbridled mess isjust a vehicle forthe friendship of Cleo and Karato play out in. It’s one rooted in chaos, strengthened in conflict and underpinned by a deep, clawing love. Under Sebbens’ deft direction, even in moments when Lee-Jones’ dialogue threatens to move into the didactic, Maturure and her co-star still make it feel like a whole lot of fun. YT woman born into rich American family, somehow against all odds, manages to get more rich…” [slow hand clap]

In the vacuum of the tweetstorm, Cleo’s childhood friend Kara (Iolanthe) arrives to offer support. With spoken word styling, their fast-and-sharp tweet readings are synchronised with sashaying grace, groovin’ high-definition moves and the high-octane AI thrumming of a chain of identical emojis: hahahahahahahahahaha.As the threats continue, the friendship is put to the test. ‘What’s you’re suffering from is an acute case of lightyitis,’ Cleo tells the paler skinned Kara. ‘You might as well be calling me a half breed,’ Kara retorts. Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner’ transfers to the Royal Court’s Downstairs Theatre to open its 2021 season. This review is from its debut Upstairs in July 2019. Leanne Henlon replaces Danielle Vitalis. As associate movement director, theatre includes: Pinocchio (National); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National & International tours); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End).