A comedic play with elements of drama that are not fully explored
“Time to sweat out the sadness”, the synopsis of Spin Cycles reads. Written and performed by comedic genius Jamie-Lee Money, this semi-satirical play explores exercise as experienced by the sedentary, and catharsis as experienced by the repressed. Although the play has a runtime of just 70 minutes, Money’s storytelling skills fill every minute with the tumult of her character’s life.
We follow Lorelai, or “Lolly”, as she embarks on a journalism assignment – write an online piece about the benefits of spin classes. Like most of us, Lolly’s exercise comes from bending towards the coffee table to pick up her beverages, and nights out at clubs with her awkward colleagues. Money speaks to the audience with an air of familiarity, like we are her best friends and she has a lot of drama to spill (which she does!). Lolly is an enjoyable character, easily relatable and fun to laugh with.
As a lover of satire, it was pleasing to see Money rip into spin classes and their overzealous students, as well as the snobbery of wellness promoters. She perfectly emulated both our desires to be healthier people, the fear we feel in actually going about it, and our jealousy towards those who are successful. In one of Spin Cycles’ highlights, Lolly rambles on about her breasts while attempting to cycle to the beat. The best satire comes from the things we know we feel, but never properly consider, so to hear Money talk about this was refreshing!
Spin Cycles also addresses darker themes, such as cancer and grief. Money does succeed with blending both comedy and drama, allowing us to laugh at Lolly’s fumbles while also recognising that there are “demons” lurking under the surface. However, the subject of cancer is directly referenced so late in the play that it seems quite like a shoo-in, with Money yelling PSAs about mammograms only being available to over-50s and celebrities who were diagnosed with breast cancer. If Money’s ultimate intention was to educate the audience about cancer diagnoses, then this is unclear to the audience.
The choices of music brought a sense of fun and lightness to the play. We heard new wave tracks and classic exercise bops such as Icona Pop’s I Love It. At times, the music was cut too sharply, suggesting unsmooth changes between scenes. However, they were still good accompaniments to Money’s movements, and highlighted Lolly’s journey from struggling to cycle to the beat to cycling effortlessly.
Overall, Spin Cycles is an entertaining play. The comedy was much better conveyed than the drama – Money has a knack for comic timing and facial expressions. Cancer and grief are subjects that deserve far better exploration than what this play did for them, but Jamie-Lee Money clearly shows both passion and promise.