Paula Varjack‘s show Nine Sixteenths is deeply personal and arrives at Brixton House following a run at the Pleasance last year.
It’s about black girl power, driven by the cancellation of Janet Jackson following an incident at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004.
With a cast of black women over 40, Nine Sixteenths looks at the MTV age, the rise of morality organisations, and the hypocrisy of those who make the decision to make or break a career.
When Justin Timberlake pulled down Jackson’s top and exposed her breast on live TV, the incident lasted nine sixteenths of a second.
Inflated out of all proportion? Undoubtedly. Victim-blaming? Definitely – “she must have known or planned it”.
Varjack’s show not only tells us what happened before and after ‘Nipplegate’ but also includes her own ambitions and fears as a performer.
The women with her are all gifted, professional, and seen by their industry as mature. The dancer who still wants to tell the stories of black bodies in movement.
The all-rounder in the business for over 40 years. The BSL interpreter who still sees a gap in accessibility provision on stage.
At 85 minutes, the show does feel a little generous with its time. I appreciate its general theme of white male supremacy, and Jackson’s defining moment is perhaps a strong example.
But, as Varjack herself admits, making this show continues a conversation about a brief moment the artist concerned would rather forget.
Nine Sixteenths is resolutely multi-media. A large screen has a BSL interpreter (Cherie Gordon) translating song lyrics, interviews, and commentary. Music throbs as Varjack recalls how she moved away from her love of pop music. Puppetry offers pointed comment.
Performers lip sync and gaze at a TV screen as moments from the Super Bowl and MTV are remembered. The cast – Varjack, Pauline Mayers, Julienne Doko, Chia Phoenix, and Vanessa Brant – are funny, committed, and focused.
Nine Sixteenths rehabilitates Jackson as a strong and influential role model to black women, with the finale being a joyous interpretation of the choreography from “Rhythm Nation”.
It notes how an accidental wardrobe malfunction set back Jackson’s career for 5 years, under virtual blacklisting, while Timberlake won Grammy awards and had a chart-topping album, and CBS head Les Moonves flourished.
The show is as much about Varjack’s experience of growing up as a black, queer woman as it is about the media downfall of a superstar.
With reference to sexual assault/”Me Too”, and commentary on the current state of US politics and misinformation on YouTube, Nine Sixteenths runs the risk of spreading itself too thin. An aside referring to the pandemic feels unnecessary now.
However, this is an entertaining and perceptive show that speaks to the MTV generation through pop culture and a feminist lens. Shahaf Beer’s costumes and Lucy Adams’s lighting also deserve praise for capturing that moment.
3.5 stars.
Nine Sixteenths continues at Brixton House until 30 May. Details here.
An audio described performance takes place on 30 May at 2.30pm, and Paula Varjack runs a workshop on ‘Making Pop Culture Inspired Performances’ on 27 May.
Photo credit: Ali Wright