Unpacked is a truthful insight into the realities of living with body dysmorphia in a toxic society

Christina Morelli’s one-woman show is a divine scoop into the traumas of dealing with body dysmorphia in a world full of unrealistic body standards for women. Throughout, the 75-minute monologue Morelli details her misadventures throughout her life from being a young child with her friends and seeing how many ‘hotdogs’ they could make by pinching their bellies to dealing with a failed business. The plot investigates how her difficulties with her love for herself and her body affect every element of her life. 

The writing of Unpacked has beautiful touches of comedy and is utterly relatable. However, there are points where the storytelling could have been dynamic and sharper. The piece overall, was very one-level which made for quite a stagnated feel to it. The storyline was interesting and funny but could have been illustrated more creatively and imaginatively. There’s a possibility that there were pieces of the story which were too prolonged and well-detailed making the performance feel longer than it actually was. 

The lighting was slightly unremarkable, however, the use of sound- particularly the voice-over of the cruel voices in her head about her weight and life was impactful and thought-provoking. The use of PowerPoint, which had the definition of words such as body dysmorphia and dating was a bold decision but the execution of it felt very similar to being in a school lesson. There were moments where the costume changes of the skirt to different uses of the red ribbon felt odd. It was hard to work out the purpose behind these and the changes in hairstyles. The use of the hanger being used to represent a mirror was confusing for a long period of time- there is wonder if this could have been revealed quicker or if another prop could have been used. 

Overall, Unpacked is a good show which talks about real and hard-hitting topics which deserve to be addressed. The show has merit, with a more dynamic script and creative choices- this show has the capabilities of being fabulous. Christina Morelli’s performance is charismatic and enchanting but definitely warmed up to the performance. The ending of her walking out and not actually auditioning for the role of the ‘perfect woman’ is the perfect ending to this story.