9 – 10 February
Paula Varjack created her performance piece ‘Nine Sixteenths’ about the derailing of a career following the infamous ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’ which occurred during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. During the televised routine 23 year old Justin Timberlake tore off 37 year old Janet Jackson’s bustier, revealing her right breast for nine-sixteenths of a second.
During the next eighty minutes Varjack alongside ‘four other black women over forty’ explore who was invested in the backlash, the demographic of those who control the media, and what those nine sixteenths of a second meant for black women in the performing arts and wider society.
Paula Varjack is joined on stage by her collaborators in devising the piece, Pauline Mayers, Chia Phoenix, Julienne Doko, and a BSL facilitator and there is much to applaud about the production which employs a variety of theatrical devices, including lip sync, mime, and dance to tell a wide-ranging story.
Introducing the ‘malfunction’ several teenage reminiscences tickled the audience’s funny bones. Getting home from shopping with mum in time to catch Top of the Pops at 7pm, embracing a giddying range of dance genres from garage to hip hop to house, and the inability to replicate the complicated choreography in Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation’ music video all gained warm appreciation.
Reflecting how the story was interpreted through the lens of an MTV generation, Varjack paints on an extremely broad canvas. Was the episode all a stunt? What part did it play in Jackson being sidelined by (white) men in authority? Broadest of all, Varjack also asks what it says about who holds political power and to what end?
Some of these far-ranging observations are made in a pertinent, thought-provoking way. A clever lip-synced sequence when late night talk show host David Letterman seemed to go out of his way to humiliate a clearly embarrassed and desperate to move on Jackson, was particularly effective.
Performances were universally spirited and passionate, albeit occasionally let down by frequent slips in dialogue which, along with the staccato approach to the various subjects, interrupted the momentum.
Other episodes however, were either overdone or under-baked. A more judicious editing and clearer objective behind the storytelling would have made the whole show more coherent and compelling. Around the hour mark the performers lined up and gave what resembled a lengthy Ted Talk about several connected but diverse issues. These were each valid and although zealously delivered, this scattergun approach was overwhelming.
The stage set was simple yet effective, but marred by inexact lighting. The performer standing front centre stage was always left in darkness while those standing behind were bathed in abundant bright light. Since there was a large TV monitor set up on stage, it could have added value to show real footage and present a multi-dimensional and multimedia performance, but this opportunity was overlooked.
Overall, a production with its heart and head in the right place but malfunctioning theatrically.
★★★☆☆ Bryan J Mason, 10 February 2026
Photography credits: Christa Holka, Ben Gregory
