Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

‘Darling, I Think I’m Turning Into A Chicken’ is probably the last thing you would expect to hear your loving fiancé say. Written and directed by India Rose Olsen and with Music & Lyrics by Michael Fristot & Tess McLee, this is a show which winnows into the heart of absurd family dynamics and the impossibility of life when Florence, a character who supposedly has it all, starts slowly turning into a chicken.

The story begins with a silently shown fight over Christmas dinner, with Florence subsequently cutting off contact with all of her family. With her clear stress not only from fractured home life and the loss of a twin, with a befuddled but caring fiancé attempting to help, we also see her work colleagues use her looks to dismiss her work aspirations and attempt to force her out of the workplace. This results in her growing chicken feathers, and if not resolved, will end her life entirely within 1 year, as it claimed others of her family in a generational curse. Peter Damian, as the fiancé, was fierce and a heartfelt example of positive masculinity. Catherine Adams and Ellis J. Wells were hilarious in their multiple roles and brought much of the humour and joy to the production. Aurea Williamson as Mary, Graeme Gulliton as Richard and Joan Smith as Evelyn were dedicated in their showcasing of the traumas of family pain and how it can inflict longstanding twisted dynamics in all generations. India Olsen leads as Florence with compassion, perseverance and courage as she faces her demons with the show unveiling her troubled past.

While this story is clearly influenced by Kafka, its divergence is intriguing. While Kafka used a cockroach to showcase abhorrence of the social norm and ideals and a total othering by those in society, Olsen’s character turns into a chicken, an integral part of our society’s food resource. Instead of being isolated by society, Florence is consumed by it and her many roles that she is struggling to fulfil. As an animal associated with cowardice and lack of heart, the implication of fear and refusing to face the fears of the past is literally reflected in your body is something long confirmed in medicine. The allegory of chronic illness also being disrespected by doctors and dismissed for sheer dint of womanhood was also conveyed excellently here. This show also delves deeply into neglectful and abusive parents and grandparents, child parentification and harmful work culture to some interesting effect. Much of the heart of this production and core storyline is incredibly interesting and a heartfelt look into the cycles of family trauma and how they repeat throughout generations until someone dares to face it and stop it. The main difficulty of this show is that the transitions between these themes often devolve into telling rather than showing and feel somewhat clunky at times as the story progresses. The 90m running time could be further tightened to streamline this flow of the plot well.

Overall, the idea of this show is solid, but this is still a show that is in its experimental stages. There are some strengths, but with editing and further rewriting, this show could rework itself to the same strengths as other alternative fringe legendary productions which this show clearly aspires to be. I look forward to seeing its future inception and wish all involved all the best in the fruits of their hard work.

Darling, I think I’m turning into a Chicken played at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in July 2026.

★ ★ ★

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