A super fun boy-meets-boy rom-com that unfolds right here in Brisbane!

Most of the action happens in the lively setting of Supanova Comic-con, the ultimate hub for pop culture fanatics.

Think comics, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming—everything you love, all in one place!

Disney Princess, Alexi decides to meet his online crush, “T,” for the first time in real life.

Alexi and T have been sending each other flirty cute emoji-packed messages, and things get really interesting when they decide to take the plunge and meet face-to-face.

But IRL is more than just a love story —asking some deep questions about our world and who we’re becoming in this age of electric dreams.

The play weaves together romance, humor, and sparks some serious thought around how we navigate this crazy, connected world.

It’s a love story that leaves you pondering the real stuff about being human in a world that’s all about screens and connections.

Get ready to take a journey through the landscape of modern relationships and self-discovery!

IRL left me confused.

I thought I was watching a play about a coming out story but it quickly went down a crazy Supanova underwater hole complete with fish.

The majority of the audience at the Opening Night was young and clearly loved and related to the storyline… Laughing and applauding gregariously.

However, older audience members appeared to be bamboozled.

The play had potential but seemed to veer (way) off course.

Scenes became convoluted and didn’t appear to have much connection.

To broaden audience appeal some editing to give conciseness and clear up the theme/storyline wouldn’t go astray.

The billboard for IRL reads “a show of innocence and extroverts” but I’m not sure that gives this production, written by Lewis Treston, enough credit.

This is a tale of growing up, acceptance, friendship, love and a dash of societal commentary thrown in.

Alexei, played by Will Bartolo, is an outwardly confident teenager looking for his first love with the use of emojis and faceless bravado through his phone.

On his device he finds T, played by Byron Lankester Howells, an awkward, film-loving teen and together they (almost) find what they’re looking for, with the help of Rachel Nutchey’s character Taylor, at Supernova.

It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, equal parts amusing and adorable and, although it’s a story of young angst and young lust experienced in a way teenagers do best, it’s also a story relatable to anyone with a heartbeat.

At about two hours long, this is a production one has to commit to, but if you suspend reality and go with the flow, it’s a great opportunity to escape and be entertained, IRL.

The show was very fast-paced and funny as well.

Probably would have been suited to under 50s as a lot of older people probably wouldn’t get the emoji references but I enjoyed the performance.

I’m going to start with my ‘glass half full’ aspects of this show.

I liked the idea of the show: a work about identity that features characters who hide behind different Supernova ‘masks’/costumes when facing up to ‘real life’ … and which speaks about the need to be honest as to who you really are.

The ‘fourth wall’ breaking was beautifully done and really kept the audience engaged. I liked the casting and energy of Will Bartolo (a great leading ‘Disney Princess’) and Byron Lankester Howells (who was a charming foil), and there were moments that made me smile.

However, some of the writing was a little too didactic (the mini-lecture about the owners of the brands), and this is a show that would definitely benefit from some editing (did we need the ‘Madam Malheur scene? Perhaps the fishy dream sequences could have been shorter?).

For me, the interwoven stories about costume theft and the breakdown/awakening of Taylor/Phoenix (Rachel Nutchey) just needed some editing back.

In a future iteration, I’d be interested to see a clearer focus on the main story about the ‘first love’ relationship between T and Alexi; as a one-hour identity/coming-out show this might work well at fringe events across the country.

If you go, make sure you select a seat in the central bank otherwise you will miss the full effect of the supernova backdrop and some of the action.

And do note that the haze effects are significant and there is further smoke with the portrayal of vaping/cigarette use.

The IRL audience was enthralled from the moment the performance started.

The stage lights came on, in the spotlight there was a tall guy in a pink princess dress sharing his comical dating dilemma.

What a story he had to share with us, the thin line between fantasy and reality was seamless and seemed so normal within minutes. What a storyteller!

The dialogue was fast-paced, with perfect enunciation and so very funny all through the performance.

Much laughter throughout the 90 minutes from the fully engaged audience.

A fabulous performance by a cast who never lost their audience for one second.

Such a fantastic show, each audience member had a smile on their face when the performance ended.

Afterwards, I was lamenting that I had to review the show and asked how and what words could I possibly use to describe the performance?

Audience members called out words such as “Joyous”, “Hilarious”, “Fabulous”, “Romantic” and “Amazing”.

IRL is an endearing teenage love story.

The play follows Alexei, a seventeen-year-old with a passion for cosplay who gets lost in the untruths he tells about himself as he and his internet crush, Thaddeus, prepare to meet IRL (in real life) at the Supanova pop culture convention.

The production starts with an odd dream sequence, followed by a well-performed online text chat then journeys into a fabulous production with iconic costumes and a pop culture-fuelled dialogue that gets lots of audience laughs.

Alexei, in a moment of regrettable self-sabotage, takes on a false identity to test the genuineness of his would-be boyfriend. The conversation is sharp with equal parts hilarity and heart.

IRL is a fierce and humorous reflection of what it means to be a teenager searching for love, acceptance, and community.

Amazing set, lighting, characters, and costumes. I loved it and haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

Would highly recommend.