Wheezing for air

Cuomo

Pearse Centre

**

At one point in Matthew O’Dwyer’s “concert/documentary”, Lieut Pinkerton asks: “And do you know why they pin the butterfly’s wings? To stop it flying away.” I know how the butterfly feels.

A steward/actress points out the nearest exits and warns that the show will get loud in parts, which is helpful, given that it’s now too late to do anything about it. The Pearse Centre is a charming theatre space, but far too small for the clatter that follows.

The show is inspired by Weezer's 1996 Pinkerton album, and named after the band's lead singer, Rivers Cuomo, intertwining his life with live song performances, monologues and scenes inspired by Madame Butterfly. O'Dwyer's stage presence belies his 18 years, and the ideas behind the show that he wrote and produced have merit. But rather than evoking nostalgia for teenage melodrama, the execution is pompous and the music almost unbearable.

Ends Sept 21