Words: Lisa Lavelle
Image: Elizabeth Elder  

3 Stars

Anna Akana gives a striking performance in It Gets Darker. Anna openly shares with us that she suffers from suicide ideation and PTSD from sadly losing her sister to suicide, resulting in ‘exploding head syndrome’ where she finds herself having unpredictable sexual dreams about her mother. This is the audience’s first introduction to Anna’s quirkiness and blunt delivery.

As the show progresses, Anna diverts from the topic of suicide and tells her story of how she was stalked, making light of the situation and how it happened to her twice, she playfully confesses that her female stalker suddenly became attractive when she finally respected her space.

Anna paints a vivid picture of her family dynamic by passionately impersonating her mother and her love for authentic Filipino food and how her father not only signed up to Tinder to try and make friends but also volunteered for the Ukrainian war, keeping everyone updated through Facebook posts. Not to forget, her late sister’s amusing trait of poking people in their backside and filming it.

Although Anna’s humour and themes may have been a bit too dark for me, not only does she commendably advocate for mental health, she holds an undeniably strong stage presence, and her quirkiness greatly compliments her. This is for you if you are a fan of dark humour and want a show that’s a great conversation starter.

Warning: This show heavily involves themes of suicide and death

Anna Akana: It Gets Darker
Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs
17:30
Aug 8-11, 13-18, 20-24