Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (reviewed Sunday 28 September 2025).
Rose Treloar is fearless. Ever since Watch Me Sleep we have been huge fans of her work that is always challenging, confronting and direct. Both Watch Me Sleep and MOTEL contain uncomfortable narratives about the emotional insecurities of women; bitchiness, jealousy, explosive anger – these are not themes that necessarily flatter, but rather, liberate female voices to be brutal and loud.
We loved this performance of MOTEL. There were parts that hurt, chaffed our conscience, made us giggle and made us cry. All in the space of 60 minutes!!
Estranged friends Connie, Brookie and April meet in a motel after a mystery text brings them together. Connnie and Brooke are hurt that April didn’t invite them to be bridesmaids at her wedding, while April is disgusted at how Connie and Brooke have humiliated her. So who sent the text? Just as they are getting to the bottom of it, hunky tradie Randy shows up at the door with an axe to fix the bathroom cupboard which is ‘stuck shut’. He could be an axe-murderer, but he’s oh-so-hot in a dorky-closeted kind of way.
Some alcohol and drugs later, things take a turn for the absolute worst.
The attention to detail with set design, sound, lighting, and fearless performances blend together to create a provocative and suspenseful story about the female gaze. You simply can’t look away.
MOTEL is presented by Loose End Productions and played at NIDA Theatres during Sydney Fringe Festival.
CREDITS
- CONNIE – ROSE TRELOAR
- APRIL – BRONTË SPARROW
- BROOKE – TALIA BENATAR
- RANDY – BRAD MOLLER
Images: Supplied