Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Nov 14 – Dec 16, 2017
Playwright: Jonathan Biggins
Director: Louise Fischer
Cast: Les Asmussen, Peter Eyers, Alice Livingstone, Lap Nguyen, Martin Portus, Amelia Robertson-Cuninghame
Image by Chris Lundie
Theatre review
A committee of six are planning Australia Day festivities in a country town. There are different agendas at play, but all have to engage in a game of debate and arbitration, overt and otherwise, to reach consensus. Intentions are a combination, of the community-minded and the self-serving, and through this study of a typically parochial setting, Jonathan Biggins’ Australia Day offers a look at who we are today, as communities who have to determine our identities, and assert them.
We are not a homogeneous entity, of course, and in the council chambers where much of the action takes place, we observe the operations of power, as diverse attitudes wrestle to find acknowledgement and representation. There are conservative personalities who wish for symbols of the past to be given prominence, left-wing types who want to disperse bandwidth so that all creatures great and small are covered, and also those who care little either way.
Biggins’ humour is familiar and warm, although its restraint can often seem redundant, for a comedy that concerns itself with arguments surrounding political correctness. The social commentary in Australia Day is pertinent and accurate, but the plot lacks surprise and the predictability of its characters takes us to a conclusion that feels anti-climatic and slightly banal.
The show is however, an enjoyable one. Directed by Louise Fischer, conflict between personalities is deftly portrayed, for an amusing self-deprecating look at our systems of local government. Keeping us involved, are accomplished performances by actors such as Les Asmussen who, in the role of Wally, reveals so much about the regressive elements of our society, funny but acerbic in his authenticity. Also memorable is Alice Livingstone as Maree, a representative from the Country Women’s Association, who manages to bring on the laughs in spite of a thinly penned part.
National celebrations are always problematic, and absurd. We are required to adopt narrow definitions of things and conform to ideologies that are mostly personally irrelevant. It is noble to place society before self, but as long as the collective is unable to be inclusive of everyone, improvements must always be sought. Whenever our identity markers are anything less than universal, deeper thought must be applied.
Suzy Goes See 