Out walks Supernova Metalrose into the DAADA Theatre spotlight, the main character extraordinaire of Generic YA Dystopia: She’s Not Like Other Pantomimes. She’s joined by her quirky best friend and her two brooding, muscly love interests, and together, they embark on an epic quest to overthrow the cruel dystopian government of the Dystopian Realm. However, things take an unexpected turn when Supernova and her gang are sucked into a giant green portal and end up in the ULTIMATE fantasy world.

They encounter a smouldering assassin with knives, a busty vampire queen, a horny romance writer, and all the fanfic tropes you can imagine in this loving parody of young adult fiction. Generic YA Dystopia is presented by the UWA Pantomime Society, an amateur group known for their FRINGE WORLD successes like Sex Toy Story and The Wizard of Aus.

In true pantomime fashion, the audience is encouraged to heckle and yell at the stage. While this led to some awkward stops and starts as the actors improvised responses to the heckling, the energy from the crowd was fantastic, even if the ending scenes felt a bit rushed and messy.

With minimal props and set, the play relies heavily on the jokes and acting, and the performers give 110%. The physical acting from the two love interests was a standout as they flexed their way across the stage. The villains hamming it up brought extra fun, and the actor playing Sarah J. Maas had the audience in stitches.

The play is crammed with in-jokes and references to YA fandoms and culture, parodying The Hunger Games, Twilight, and even the notorious Omegaverse. I was laughing my head off, but don't feel like you need to be deep into fandom culture to get the jokes. The classic pantomime gags, dirty humour, and “HE’S BEHIND YOU” moments make it accessible for everyone.

Go see Generic YA Dystopia and be prepared to yell, catcall, whoop, and laugh. I had so much fun at this incredibly funny pantomime.