★★★

Full of wit, vulnerability, and playful physicality, Pretty Beast by Kazu Kusano explores what it means to grow beyond your roots and break free from harmful family cycles. Growing up as a girl in Japan, Kazu does not have many opportunities to explore her love for comedy, as it is typically something reserved for men. This in combination with Kazu’s difficult relationship with her family; her mother suffering from schizophrenia and her father from alcoholism, leads to a cocktail of anxiety, doubt, and unpredictable behaviour that brings Kazu great challenges throughout her adolescence and into her adulthood. 

The most electrifying component of the storytelling in Pretty Beast is definitely the sharp and playful physical comedy. Kazu Kusano has the incredible ability to embody a variety of different characters, switching between them seamlessly without missing a beat. The strongest example of this is when Kazu is playing her grandmother, who is always holding a cup of tea. While taking on the same posture each time she is present, we are able to instantly pick up on the fact that it is Kazu’s grandmother speaking, and lock in on the wisdom she presents for that scene. Each time this occurs, grandmother finishes off with a cheery “goodnight!” that was one of the standout comedic lines of the play and brought life and laughter to the story. The physicality that carries through the entire show is very reminiscent of what inspired Kazu to take interest in comedy as a young child: a five-man Japanese comedy group that heavily used performance elements like clown. The sharing of this close to the top of the piece and then having it be a core aspect to its performance is extremely smart and consistent, giving the performance of the story a special feel that is tied to Kazu’s childhood. 

Where this piece falls short is in its attempt to tackle the very complex themes of mental illness and misogyny that it presents to the audience. With this play being autobiographical, Kusano unfortunately falls into the trap of over-explaining rather than doing. When it comes to Kazu’s character arc, I wonder if there could be more use of the show’s already strong physicality to further develop her important personal moments? This could make it dynamic in a way that closer connects Kazu to the audience, and less like she is neglecting her own perspective. The focus remains on the caricatures of her family, sometimes making it feel as though Kazu is the least important player in her own story. At times, it can be difficult to really see how patriarchy and mental illness affect her. This results in Kazu’s “overcoming” of these obstacles feeling less important near the end of the show, missing the emotional buildup throughout to come to a satisfying conclusion. 

Overall, Pretty Beast is a charming show that will definitely have you excited at Kazu Kusano’s playful and fun physical performance. The comedy of this piece is sharp and brave, and balances quite nicely with the themes it explores.