REVIEW:
The Bridge at KXT Bakehouse
Reviewed by: Dro Abad
Photo Credit: Ravyna Jassani
Three Words: Raw. Viral. Unsettling.
Similar To: Trainspotting, Almost Famous, Reality Bites
Best Thing: Amber’s monologue, both bristling and heartbreaking, landed as the clearest, most lived-in moment of the night.
Worst Thing: The sound balance. The live instruments were strong, but the backing track often overpowered the vocals.
Watch if you feel like: Diving into a clash of legacy and virality, where zero filter meets TikTok soundbites.
Best Line of Dialogue: Amber, mid-sip of wine, quips she’s become the “Karen Carpenter of Canley Vale.” It lands between nostalgia, irony and self-aware grief.
How the Audience Reacted: They leaned in. Eyes flickered, wry smiles glowed, but there was no uproar. It was the kind of laughter born of recognition and mutual discomfort.
What my guest thought: “I want to be a 90’s rock diva just like Amber when I grow up, honest, passionate, free-spirited and flawed. Amber’s school of rock taught me to say sorry when I’m wrong, to graciously forgive myself, and that a spotlight shines brightest when it is shared.” - Billie
Lighting: A shadowy palette held the stage in restless half-light, sharpening the TikTok projections on the curtain. A little more warmth would have deepened the emotional peaks.
Set/Costume: Graffiti tagged walls, a “Whore moan” poster and Alyssa’s TikTok clips projected onto a white curtain made the world feel like a mix of garage band grit and digital diary.
Acting: Zoe Carides as Amber is combustible, torn between memory and fight. Clare Hennessy’s Alyssa, in TikTok form and on stage, is sharp and reactive, a symbol of the viral present clashing with the analog past. Saro Lepejian as Layne, Amber’s son, felt underdrawn, and the family bond never quite landed.
Writing: Sunny Grace, Clare Hennessy and Richie Black create a pop-culture duel with generational bite. The work is strongest in Amber’s spoken truths and moments of stillness. Some of that intimacy was lost under the heavy sound mix.
Directing: Lucinda Gleeson frames the tension like a live wire. Music, lighting and projection cut through each other with intention. Pacing jolts at times, but the instability suits the theme of resistance and refusal.
Overall: The Bridge does not aim to soothe. It scratches, provokes and sometimes overwhelms. Its roughness is both flaw and feature. Zoe Carides’s fierce presence, Alyssa’s viral edge and the uneasy family ties keep it alive, even when clarity dips. It is messy, defiant and burning with sincerity.
My Review in Emojis: 🎸🔥📱
Diamond Rating (Out of 5): 💎💎💎
Runs Until: 13 September 2025