Girlfriend #33 Stole My Mojo
Produced by Casting Couch Productions

Cast: Jeffrey Prewett, Bruno Xavier, Albany Dighton, Adrienne Bates, Suzanne Ellis, Jillian Webber, Nicolette Kenny, Justine Rayleigh, Petrina Edge, Belinda Gosbee, Tarsha Carvey, Renee Lim, Amanda Norton & Sarah Robinson.

Written by: Greg Eccleston
Director: Greg Eccleston

Publicist: Troy Dodds Enterprises

Australian Premiere: Imperial Hotel Theatre. Wednesday, March 8, 2006.


The Lowdown:
A new play from Greg Eccleston. The production was received fairly well by audiences at the iconic Imperial Hotel.


AussieTheatre.com Review:
Playing in a venue festooned with rainbow banners and mirror balls, writer/director Greg Eccleston’s Girlfriend #33 Stole My Mojo is a bit of an oddity. Perhaps one of the more surreal theatrical experiences you could have this year is walking into a hotel renowned for its drag shows, and watching a straight play about a straight guy who likes to shag lots and lots of girls.

The play is an extended remix of High Fidelity. A bloke is disoriented after a relationship breaks down and decides to revisit some old relationships in order to work out where the hell it all started going wrong. Tom is an up-and-coming actor who really, really likes women, but it never seems to work out for him. With the help of life coach Dave, Tom sets out to exorcise the ghosts of girlfriends past – all 33. It quickly emerges that Tom’s definition of a girlfriend is a little broader than what most people would go by; the 33 girls include a kiss in primary school and spending more than a couple of nights in houses of ill repute. Dave struggles to maintain his professional demeanour; not only does he find Tom’s apparent lack of contrition repellent, but one of the girls in Tom’s parade is Dave’s current lady love.

Girlfriend #33 Stole My Mojo is enjoyable and watchable, even though the Eccleston’s script is hampered by the way it sticks to the script, so to speak. The play is neatly divided into acts with climaxes and revelations exactly where you would expect to find them, with a twist at the end that’s been telegraphed from the beginning. However the interplay between the characters is amusing, particularly when Tom is continually bumping into an ex whom he dubs The Stalker. As director Eccleston also has a bit of staging fun, particularly with Tom’s memories parading around the stage, and there is a nice use of video footage.

The actors, including Jeffrey Prewett, Bruno Xavier, Albany Dighton and Adrienne Bates, all seem to have fun with the show, and play up on the frivolousness of much of the banter. However the problem with this is that there is little sense of crisis in Tom’s life; it’s talked about a lot but you never really feel it. A little more intensity from both Tom and Dave, whose conversations should be driving the play along, would really lift things.

Greg Eccleston has produced a pleasant evening of entertainment, and it’s encouraging that a venue like the Imperial Hotel is giving support to local productions.


Production Shots:
None Available


Further Information:
Not Available