Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner is the impressive debut from young British playwright Jasmine Lee-Jones, offering a blistering critique on the commodification of black bodies and the perils of social media.

Since its debut in London in 2019, and the Australian tour which started last year, the show has taken audiences on a whirlwind critique of colourism, queerness, and friendship, with hidden dead bodies thrown in the mix.

Zindzi Okenyo is co-director, along with Shari Sebbens who many will remember from Top End Wedding.
“Essentially, it’s a story of two best friends, but also, the larger world around it is this phenomenon of the Kardashians,” Okenyo said.

“A lot of people know of the Kardashians, and what they’ve brought to culture and the beauty culture, but I guess it’s like the darker side of that, which is the commodification of black women and black beauty. The fuller lips, the bigger bottom. All of that stuff they’ve really, really imprinted in people’s minds, that this is a body that is to be desired.

“However, the difficulty with that is, when you are actually a black woman, often those attributes are negative. And so the Kardashians being Armenian, they’ve really taken a culture and appropriated it for themselves.”

The play has become a worldwide phenomenon with its own following, with a podcast, playlists, food, book club and website.

Part of the excitement generated from the show is actually having two black women on stage, still not a common experience in Australian theatres.

“I always find this simultaneously so exciting that it’s happening and also just shocking that, it is astounding that this is a new thing,” Zindzi said.

“It shouldn’t be a new thing at all. It’s not necessarily a new thing in other parts of the world, but we’ve got a lot to catch up on in Australia. And so as much as it can be quite overwhelming to see, wow, there’s a long way to go. At the same time, it just feels so cool to be part of it and just making the space for a new type of theatre.”

Okenyo said she’s looking forward to the reaction of Brisbane audiences to the show.

“Although it’s set in south London with these two Afro-British girls, it’s really relatable for so many people living in Australia, because even though it might be London or Australia or America, or anywhere in the world, racism is rising everywhere,” she said.

“You’ve got a lot of people coming to the shows who are the same age as the girls, early twenties, and struggling with their identity and struggling with where they fit and also kind of fighting within the community as well.

“And so it’s been really amazing to have my perspective and also Shari’s perspective, being an Indigenous woman, and see different sides of the black coin. How we still struggle with the same things.

“It’s really relatable. And I know that there’s a really big African community in Brisbane. So I think the show’s going to really be just, such an amazing experience for a lot of the audiences there.

“The show brings so many ideas to the forefront. The playwright is not shy in bringing up a lot of dark and big and confronting topics, as well as being hilarious too. So even if you aren’t black, if you are coming, if you are a partner of somebody or you’re someone’s parents, there’s so much there for everybody to be included and to think about.”