The Adelaide Fringe offers everything from light-hearted escapism to theatre that explores the darker edges of human behaviour.
Partying with Manson sits firmly in the latter category, offering a one-woman retelling of the story of Susan Atkins, one of the young women who became entangled with Charles Manson during the chaotic late 1960s.
The performance takes place in an intimate venue, mercifully cool on a warm Fringe evening, where the audience settles in for a journey into one of the most unsettling chapters of modern American history.
“It was the swinging 60s and we were having a ball,” Atkins declares early in the show, dressed in a sequinned jumpsuit that captures the era’s playful surface. As the storytelling unfolds, props and costume additions subtly shift the tone, hinting at the darker path ahead.
The show is delivered as a solo performance, with the actor moving through a variety of characters and voices as she recounts Susan’s experiences. In the lead up to meeting Charles Manson, she reflects on the restless search many young people felt at the time.
“We were looking for something else. We all wanted something else. We didn’t know what it was… until we met him.”
Those moments give some insight into how the young women became drawn into Manson’s orbit. Later she explains, “I was ready for the Manson ride,” before describing how completely the group came to believe in him.
At one point she chillingly declares, “Charlie Manson was God.” If you want to understand what she meant by that, you will need to see the show for yourself.
One of the more memorable moments comes when she steps into the role of Manson himself. Her transformation into the cult leader is unsettling and at times genuinely frightening, capturing the charisma and volatility that allowed him to exert such powerful influence over the group.
As the narrative unfolds, the production also hints at broader parallels with modern America, suggesting that the forces of division, unrest and disillusionment that shaped the era may not be as distant as we might like to think.
The show closes with a crescendo of sound and chaos, capturing the turbulent energy of the era.
For audiences interested in the history of the Manson murders, this performance offers a thought-provoking perspective. Personally, I found the storytelling a little drawn out at times and, without a stronger familiarity with the historical background, I sometimes found it difficult to stay fully connected with the narrative.
Even so, the performance offers an unsettling glimpse into a complicated and disturbing moment in history.
Three and a half stars for an ambitious solo performance tackling a dark and complex subject.
Showing until March 22.
Tickets available here.
