Tag Archives: 2023

Review: The Weekend (Belvoir St Theatre)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Aug 5 – Sep 10, 2023
Playwright: Sue Smith (based on the novel by Charlotte Wood)
Director: Sarah Goodes
Cast: Roman Delo, Belinda Giblin, Melita Jurisic, Toni Scanlan, Keila Terencio
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
Adele, Jude and Wendy are congregating at their recently deceased friend Sylvie’s beach house, to organise its sale. Charlotte Wood’s novel The Weekend deals with bereavement, through which we explore the meanings of life and of friendship, for women in their twilight years. Sue Smith’s adaptation is a gently humorous stage version, that offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by three fiercely independent and professionally accomplished women, in a world that is not quite built for them.

Directed by Sarah Goodes, The Weekend is occasionally amusing, but with an intense melancholy that reflects a disquieting anxiety associated with the ageing process. Music by Steve Francis provides a sense of longing, one that relates perhaps to the dissatisfaction with a world that routinely neglects older women. Madeleine Picard’s sound design transports us to the idyllic coastal towns of Australia, where we are persuaded to yield to its seductive languor.

Stephen Curtis’ scenic design too, is evocative of that lazy beach life, along with costumes by Ella Butler that depict exactly, the class of people we are looking at. Damien Cooper’s mellow lights tell of the quiet maturity being portrayed. The three leading ladies, Belinda Giblin, Melita Jurisic and Toni Scanlan, offer distinct characters, each one dignified, authentic and intriguing. Puppeteer Keila Terencio brings the enfeebled but charming dog Finn to glorious life, and Roman Delo plays the part of young artist Joe with a charming irony, adding a dose of whimsy to the staging.

Much of The Weekend can feel strangely unaffecting, but there is no mistaking the importance of the discussion. It is true that Adele, Jude and Wendy have each other, but they deserve more. Western culture regards age and death with a grim disdain, that consigns our elderly, especially those of the female gender, to obscurity, leaving them marginalised and abandoned. Unlike the rest of the world, we do not honour the old. We consider our mastery at creating material wealth, to mean a superiority, and refuse to adopt values from other cultures that are plainly virtuous, and beneficial to societies at large. It is a privilege to experience life as an old person, and all our communities should make it a privilege as well, to have the elderly integral to the way we do things.

www.belvoir.com.au

Review: Elvis: A Musical Revolution (State Theatre)

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Venue: State Theatre (Sydney NSW), from Aug 2 – Sep 10, 2023
Book: David Abbinanti, Sean Cercone
Director: Alister Smith
Cast: Annie Chiswell, Sienna Embrey, Joti Gore, Ben Hall, Rhys James Hankey, Matt Heyward, Jo-Anne Jackson, Zuleika Khan, Rob Mallett, Noni McCallum, Connor Morel, Aidan O Cleirigh, Ian Stenlake, Hanlon Innocent, Kirby Burgess, Charly Williams
Images by Daniel Boud, Ken Leanfore

Theatre review
The King of Rock and Roll may have had an eventful life, but it is ultimately his music and enduring influence on pop culture that matters the most. In Elvis: A Musical Revolution, the legend is portrayed from childhood to the very pinnacle of his career, featuring a string of evergreen hits (faithfully and propulsively re-orchestrated by Daniel Puckey) that will forever be associated with the icon. The book by David Abbinanti and Sean Cercone might feel deficient and unremarkable, in efforts to encapsulate an epic narrative, but the star’s incandescence persists throughout the piece regardless.

Performer Rob Mallett could very well have presented a show paying tribute just singing and dancing, without all the attempts at delivering a narrative, and the audience would have been equally thrilled. Mallett’s skill at impersonating the idolised figure might be nothing short of astonishing, but it is his ability to captivate and connect, as a preeminent artist of the live format, that makes the show an electrifying experience. With his incredible vocal range, and a confident and dexterous physicality, Mallett transcends mimicry, to have us infatuated all over again with one of the world’s greatest sex symbols.

The entire cast is commendable, full of vim and vigour, in their support of an exceptional leading man. Choreography by Michael Ralph takes every opportunity to provide excitement, in addition to his responsibilities in recreating the king’s unforgettable moves.  Costume design by Isaac Lummins too, is exquisitely rendered, for an Elvis wardrobe that is at once authentic and elevated, able to help us recall the many striking images indelible in our collective memory.

Other design aspects however are less than impressive, in a production that often looks unimaginatively assembled and insufficiently opulent, for this reminiscence of the most flamboyant of entertainers. Video projections are especially poorly administered, failing to add clarity to the storytelling and making the overall visual aesthetics even more disappointing. The production is directed by Alister Smith, who must be given credit for finding ways to bring true sentimentality beyond the smoke and mirrors of the musical genre, but much of the show feels to be a work in progress, yet to uncover its full potential.

Elvis Presley paid an inordinately high price for fame. His story is eventually tragic, but on this occasion we are thankfully spared having to go through those heartbreaking final days. What he left behind is endlessly inspiring and unequivocally glorious. In Elvis: A Musical Revolution, we are miraculously able to rekindle that unparalleled magic, complete with a myriad somewhat characteristic imperfections.

www.elvisamusicalrevolution.com.au

Review: Constellations (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jul 29 – Sep 2, 2023
Playwright: Nick Payne
Director: Ian Michael
Cast: Johnny Carr, Catherine Văn-Davies
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

The one certainty in Nick Payne’s Constellations, is that Marianne and Roland met one fateful day. Whatever happened thereafter, becomes a series of infinite and random configurations, in a play that explores the nature of consequence, and the idea of boundless possibilities. Things could have ended between the two after a single exchange, or a lifetime of connectedness could have eventuated, or indeed a myriad of combinations in between. Maybe all that can be imagined, does in fact take place simultaneously, in a world that is much bigger, much less ordered and linear, than we usually believe to be true.

Unequivocally intellectual, Payne’s writing is also witty and heartrending, offering the stage opportunities for a theatre that engages both mind and soul. Directed by Ian Michael, all of Constellations‘ immense potentialities are realised, in a production that absolutely captivates, to deliver an experience satisfying on every level, and leaving its audience deeply contented yet full of wonderment, newly curious about our planes of existence. Furthermore, as a work of classic drama, Constellations is intensely moving in its rendering of a love story, but also consistently and effortlessly funny, in many comedic moments that Michael instils exactingly, yet with an unmistakable lightness of touch.

Designed to perfection, the show features a glorious set by Isabel Hudson that is sure to take one’s breath away, from the very first encounter upon entering the auditorium. Dark gleaming surfaces depict characters in timelessness, floating as though representing both the material and immaterial, in a play that ventures inevitably into esoteric spaces. Benjamin Brockman’s spectacular lights coax responses from our emotions and senses, in the most detailed ways, ensuring  that heads and hearts follow each step of the complex plot, never for a moment disengaging from the presentation. Music and sounds by James Brown bring sublime beauty to the show, along with depths of profundity that the body understands more than the cerebrum, allowing enjoyment and appreciation of the show to extend viscerally.

The seamless collaboration between all aspects of the staging, is incredible to witness, including the two extraordinary performers, whose unsurpassed generosity and integrity, make Constellations unforgettable. As Roland, actor Johnny Carr brings interpretations and impulses that feel entirely natural, to a text notable for its abstractions. Every vacillating scenario is made believable and rational, with an unabating charisma that keeps us endeared to each mutation of the story. The mesmerising Catherine Văn-Davies is interminably dynamic in the role of Marianne, brilliantly inventive with each refreshed delivery of dialogue, physically manifesting the infinitude that is so resolutely central to the text. The sentimental dimensions of the play are crucial to sustaining our engrossment, and Văn-Davies’s commitment to portrayals of human vulnerability keeps us riveted to the unusual storytelling. Above all, it is the extraordinary chemistry between both players that makes this theatrical moment a special one, with a partnering that invites us to perceive love as an entity beyond conventional prescription. We are as magnificent as we allow ourselves to envision.

The gravity we bear in navigating life is partially tangible, and partially in the mind’s eye; there are portions more real and portions mutable. Finding ways to dissolve the boundaries that constitute meanings of selves, or in other words, to free oneself from definitions that necessarily impose constrictions, is to release the self to an expansiveness that must mean exaltation and peace. Constellations could be seen as a meditation on zen doctrines, or at least be a key to one instance of bliss.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Mr Bailey’s Minder (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Jul 28 – Sep 2, 2023
Playwright: Debra Oswald
Director: Damien Ryan
Cast: John Gaden AO, Rachel Gordon, Albert Mwangi, Claudia Ware
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

Therese is in no position to wait for a better job, so she takes on the challenge of caring for Leo, an artist of great renown who has no redeeming features, except for his exceptional paintings. Debra Oswald’s Mr Bailey’s Minder is about salvation, even for the worst of us. It is a wonderful sentiment, that all of us should deserve hope, but even though there is a lot of truth in the old saying, ‘let them who are without sin cast the first stone,’ to forgive Leo and endear to him, is perhaps too much to ask of some audiences.

Like his daughter Margo, we find it mostly an absurd idea, to indulge in the fantasy that a man with decades of transgressions, should be essentially good and therefore worthy of love in his twilight years. The complete predictability of the plot, along with the lacklustre dialogue, makes for a play that feels even more passé than its two-decade age might suggest. Certainly its intentions are wholesome and pure, and this staging by director Damien Ryan reflects those very decent virtues appropriately. The show feels spirited, almost charming at times, and it is unsurprising that some might be led to find it a meaningful story to invest in.

Abstract elements of Soham Apte’s set design are charmingly considered, although its colour palette could benefit from a little restraint. Apte’s work on costuming is more effective, rendered with a detailed eye to help us achieve an understanding of characters from first glance. Lights by Morgan Moroney are remarkable for subtle and astute calibrations that ease us through constant vacillations between comedy and drama. Sound design by Daryl Wallis is minimal but realistic, with occasional interlude music offering a hint of elegance.

Actor John Gaden is extremely likeable as Leo Bailey and, therefore, elicits conflicting feelings about a man who has ostensibly done a lot of harm throughout his lifetime. Gaden’s palpable chemistry with each member of cast, makes everything magically palatable. Playing Therese is Claudia Ware whose warm exuberance compels us to persist with the tale. Albert Mwangi too is charismatic in dual roles, captivating whether as the deviant Gavin or the delightful Karl. As Margo, Rachel Gordon’s humour is a highlight, enjoyable enough for us to excuse her inability to make convincing her character’s eventual change of heart, regarding the contemptible patriarch.

Forgiveness is the most honourable quality one can learn to cultivate, but is admittedly difficult to engender with erstwhile offenses, and nigh on impossible to instil when wrongdoings are ongoing and recurrent. In Mr Bailey’s Minder one could detect a real need for grace, and that impulse is prudent and true. Also true, is that we need to see evil for what it is, and find ways to recognise that confronting discord, and not fall into delusions to make absolution easier. Furthermore in our art, benevolence should perhaps play a subordinate role, to chastising those who deserve it. Leo may be a great artist, but he is also a horrible man, and choosing to forget the inconvenient half, is unconscionable.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: Pitchfork Disney (Meraki Arts Bar)

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Venue: Meraki Arts Bar (Darlinghurst NSW), Jul 20 – Aug 5, 2023
Playwright: Philip Ridley
Director: Victor Kalka
Cast: Jane Angharad, James Hartley, James Smithers, Harry Winsome
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Haley and Presley are siblings who lock themselves up at home all day, indulging in chocolate and drugs, as they tell each other endless tall tales to pass the time. When Cosmo appears quite unexpectedly, we find the sanctuary suddenly perilous, as the stranger threatens to disrupt the household’s long-standing equilibrium. The many anecdotes shared by characters in Philip Ridley’s Pitchfork Disney are replete with fear and darkness, reflecting an anxious pessimism that no doubt was present during the writing process, although an ironic humour is certainly involved as well, in a bizarre work that proves to be as quirky as it is morbid.

The production is full of intrigue, with director Victor Kalka exploring the text’s curious nature to deliver, an experience memorable for its fascinating experimentations with the abstract. Kalka’s set design is noteworthy for its finesse and believability, and some of his costume pieces are wonderfully outlandish, if somewhat paradoxical for a show concerned with decay and dilapidation. Lights by Jasmin Borsovszky are effective in moments of heightened drama, but can sometimes be too abrupt in the rendering of an ambitious vision.

In the role of Presley is the marvellous James Smithers, whose brilliant performance as a man in a state of arrested development, keeps us on edge for the entirety. His work is beautifully measured, courageous and intelligent, and although seeming to be in total control for the whole 90 minutes, it is Smithers’ capacity for vulnerability that provides this staging its truest artistic merit. Harry Winsome plays Cosmo with commendable vigour, and along with Jane Angharad’s buoyancy as Haley, they create enjoyable dimensions for Pitchfork Disney that are commensurate with the play’s eccentric spirit. James Hartley too is amusingly kooky, when he appears late in the piece as the mysterious Pitchfork.

Writing can be an isolating exercise. For some, to hide from the real world is to delve into the greatest creativity, and to unearth the deepest secrets one can harbour. There is no question, that the outside is full of terror and dread, and one can easily be tempted to retreat into the innermost spaces for refuge, perhaps as a gesture of surrender, or maybe as an attempt for finding the greatest incontrovertible truths. To go inside is to access the most precious of human experience, but to remained closed off from the big scary world, is the worst a person can do.

www.virginiaplaintheatre.com | www.meraki.sydney

Review: The Turn Of The Screw (Seymour Centre)

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Venue: Seymour Centre (Chippendale NSW), Jul 21 – Aug 12, 2023
Playwright: Richard Hilliar (after Henry James)
Director: Richard Hilliar
Cast: Kim Clifton, Martelle Hammer, Lucy Lock, Harry Reid, Jack Richardson​
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review

A young woman is hired to be governess at an English country estate, where she is to care for 12-year-old Miles and his younger sister Flora. The unnamed governess soon discovers strange goings-on and decides that the house is haunted. The children too are not quite what they seem. Richard Hilliar’s stage adaptation of The Turn of the Screw, is a savvy reframing of Henry James’ 1898 horror novella , that accommodates judiciously, our contemporary sensibilities. It is the same old story, but adjusted for the ways we now talk about child abuse and mental health. Thankfully, supernatural elements are very much kept intact, allowing us to enjoy both the realistic and the metaphysical aspects, of this spooky tale.

That amalgamation of period and modern styles, is seamlessly rendered by Hilliar, who as writer and as director, delivers an experience that addresses our need for a certain veracity in nostalgic terms, but with a rhythm and pace that is unmistakeably of the present day. The show moves quickly and boldly, switching from taciturn to explicit when required, to ensure that we invest in the historical context in meaningful ways. The production may not always hit the mark with its scary elements, but it is definitely creepy enough to keep us on the edge of our seats for its entirety, making us give full attention to the highly intriguing occurrences.

A very handsome set design by Hamish Elliot lures us into this foreboding domain, while efficiently addressing the many practical stipulations of the production. Angela Doherty’s costumes are assembled to convey authenticity, not just in terms of era but also of class. Lights by Ryan McDonald do a splendid job of traversing oscillating states of realism, able to engender warmth in one moment, and then swiftly switching to depict terror the next. Sound and music by Chrysoulla Markoulli are richly rendered, especially for the many instances of heightened dramatics.

Actor Lucy Lock demonstrates impressive versatility as the governess, believable whether doting and tender, or in complete panic and hysteria, beautifully nuanced with her interpretation of the dynamic role. Jack Richardson is sensational as Miles, with excellent humour and a knack for making every extravagant gesture feel convincing and appropriate. Kim Clifton’s exemplary commitment never lets us diverge from the notion that Flora is a child, thus raising the stakes continually, as the plot unfolds. Housekeeper Grose is played by a remarkable Martelle Hammer, whose prodigious range is showcased perfectly, in a play that lets her perform at ever changing levels of intensity. The irrepressible Harry Reid establishes a tone of devious mischievousness in the opening scene, and although appears only for that singular instance as the children’s uncle, proves unforgettable with his flair for subtle expressions and delicious timing.

When we talk about ghosts, we are opening the doors to pasts that yearn to be exhumed. In order for life to move on, so much of what we have encountered needs to be left behind. Trauma especially wants to hide away, in order that we may awake to every new dawn. Pain however refuses to be muted. It finds ways to manifest, sometimes in the flesh, sometimes in the mind, be it physical, emotional or spiritual, trauma always resurfaces. Ghosts may be an allegory for the return of anguish, but they may also very well be assertions of truths that simply will not be denied, come hell or high water.

www.seymourcentre.com | www.toothandsinew.com

Review: Sweeney Todd (Sydney Opera House)

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Venue: Sydney Opera House (Sydney NSW), Jul 22 – Aug 27, 2023
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler (based on the play by Christopher Bond)
Director: Stuart Maunder AM
Cast: Kanen Breen, Jeremi Campese, Antoinette Halloran, Ben Mingay, Benjamin Rasheed, Ashleigh Rubenach, Harry Targett, Margaret Trubiano, Dean Vince
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review

Returning to London from exile, Sweeney Todd discovers that his wife had died by suicide. An unquenchable thirst for vengeance soon overwhelms him, thus begets Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The macabre comedy of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 musical (with a book by Hugh Wheeler), proves once more to be sheer delectation. This latest revival under the direction of Stuart Maunder AM, feels refreshed and energised, delivering wondrous amusement as though no time has passed since its inception.

Set design by Roger Kirk is perfectly proportioned to draw us into its 18th Century depictions of disquieting squalor, convincing us that corruption and depravity await at every corner. Kirk’s costumes are appropriately theatrical, but they are also relied upon to convey authenticity while remaining practicable and flattering for the cast. Lights by Philip Lethlean move us accurately through the constantly varying moods and tones of Sweeney Todd, whether fantastical, slapstick, romantic, or horrifying, in a production that aims to have it all. Sound design by Jim Atkins adds layers of atmosphere to enhance the storytelling, as conductor Simon Holt brings drama and urgency to the very polished staging.

Performer Ben Mingay is irrepressibly broody as Sweeney Todd, commanding with his voice, but not always sufficiently agile in adapting to the shifts in presentation styles required of the show. Mrs Lovett is played by an exquisite Antoinette Halloran, captivatingly flamboyant but also precise in approach, ceaselessly entertaining, and irresistible with her charm, as she explores every nuance in a role that suddenly seems newly complex. Extremely noteworthy is the incandescent Jeremi Campese, who as Tobias Ragg introduces unexpected warmth and poignancy to an outlandish tale, leaving a remarkable impression as an artist admirable for both his technical and impulsive capacities.

People are dropping like flies in London town, but no suspicions are raised, as the populace indulges in improbably affordable meat pies. It appears to be true, that we routinely choose not to know how the sausage is made, preferring always to devour that which is pleasurable, and neglecting inconvenient ethical considerations. Our lives have become bounded by modes of consumption, in which we think only of utility, leaving the true costs of things to be left buried, as though the system of resource allocation is never going to fail. Even as reports emerge constantly about the dangers and failures of this way of life, we turn a blind eye, evidently resigned to our certain extinction.

www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Review: On The Beach (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 12, 2023
Playwright: Tommy Murphy (adapted from the novel by Nevil Shute)
Director: Kip Williams
Cast: Matthew Backer, Tony Cogin, Michelle Lim Davidson, Emma Diaz, Vanessa Downing, Tai Hara, Genevieve Lee, Ben O’Toole, Contessa Treffone, Kiki Wales, Elijah Williams, Alan Zhu
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Even though the war had well and truly ended, devastation and trauma lingered in the minds of both victors and losers. Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach was published in 1957, 12 years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans. It imagines a future in which a final explosion occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, with devastating effects of radiation gradually spreading across the entire globe, including Melbourne where we meet the characters of Shute’s story.

This new stage adaption by Tommy Murphy, feels as much a period piece as it does resonate with contemporary pertinence. The dialogue has a tendency to sound drily obscure, but Murphy’s astute condensation of events for his version, allows On the Beach to speak urgently to our modern sensibilities. Whether we associate the story with our renewed experiences of a pandemic, or with our present anxieties around technological advancements especially as it relates to artificial intelligence, the play taps into a sense of doom that seems perennially a part of being human, no matter the epoch.

That masochistic fascination with catastrophe is harnessed powerfully by Kip Williams, who directs the production with astonishing sophistication, connecting with our taste for the morbid, in quiet but intense ways. The narrative of On the Beach is a distant runner up to the gratification supplied by the atmospherics being administered, in a show that deals in the philosophy of certain death.

Michael Hankin’s set design bears a skilful precision that allows for a minimalist aesthetic to operate, using the vastness of empty space to trigger fears pertaining to notions of desertion and annihilation. Lights by Damien Cooper further enhance that sensation of isolation and of insignificance, that we understand subconsciously to be our minuscule piece in the real scheme of things. Costumes, delightful in a very 1950’s manner, are poised and hyper-gendered, as authentically crafted by Mel Page. Auditory pleasures are a real highlight of the staging, with music by Grace Ferguson delivering transcendent romance, along with Jessica Dunn’s sounds that keep us firmly in a space of mournful apprehension.

Excellent performances by the cast ensures our sensory, if not always emotional, investment into their show. Ben O’Toole brings a beautiful and captivating rhapsody to Peter’s increasingly maddening states of anguish. Mary’s dignity is kept intact by the illuminative Michelle Lim Davidson, who exemplifies a woman keeping it together, at the most challenging of times. Contessa Treffone is relied upon thankfully for the crucial lightening of mood, as the irrepressibly vivacious Moira. Dwight is played by a sensitive Tai Hara, every bit the old-fashioned matinee idol, but also unexpectedly touching at the right moments. Also noteworthy is Elijah Williams, whose turn as Swain gives the show some of its greatest poignancy, right when it matters most.

Grace and composure at critical junctures, even if they seem to provide no discernible function, are emblematic of the best of who we are. In this production of On the Beach, ugliness is worse than death, and is mercifully nowhere to be seen. Our tragedy is certainly of our own doing, and it is appropriate that we should endure it, with the utmost dignified serenity that can be mustered.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Teenage Dick (Flight Path Theatre)

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Venue: Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Jul 19 – Aug 5, 2023
Playwright: Mike Lew
Director: Dan Graham
Cast: Thom Blake, Amy Victoria Brooks, Holly-Jane Cohle, Gemma Dart, Keira Fairley, Rocco Forrester, Chloe Ho, Dean Nash
Images by Andrea Magpulong

Theatre review

When Richard decides to campaign for class president at his high school, it is as much an indication of his ambition, as it is of a thirst for revenge. Based on Shakespeare’s Richard III, Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick transposes the anti-hero to a contemporary context, turning the protagonist into a much younger man, but retains his narrative of disability. This excellent update from 2016, like the original, is both comedic and tragic, brilliantly constructed to have us shifting in our attitudes regarding the problematic central character. With its sophisticated methodology for advocacy, depictions of disability in Teenage Dick are never patronising, with Lew demonstrating an immense capacity for presenting humanity in ways that resonate deeply, without relying on cliché and convention.

Directed by Dan Graham, we are transported convincingly to Roselands High School somewhere in the United States, where the teenagers are delightfully rambunctious and disarmingly bright. Lights by Casey-Moon Watton and sound by Dean Nash are prudently rendered, to bring dramatic emphasis to key moments. Set and costume design by Holly-Jane Cohle are vibrant and whimsical, wonderfully charming with the visuals aspects being established for the staging.

Additionally, the aforementioned Nash and Cohle leave remarkable impressions playing Richard and Buck respectively, both accomplished and endearing as performers, on a stage that buzzes with constant energy. Amy Victoria Brooks as teacher Elizabeth, and Rocco Forrester as bully Eddie, are memorable for the accuracy they bring to their roles. Gemma Dart and Chloe Ho tell meaningful stories, about the challenges faced by girls as they prepare to grow into their womanhood. Thom Blake and Keira Fairley are endlessly amusing with the boisterousness they introduce, to remind us of that characteristic anxiety involved in navigating teenage life.

Our cultures seem very accustom to portrayals of disadvantaged members of society, as either long-suffering and noble, or despicable and Machiavellian. In Teenage Dick we are urged to consider our marginalised as being thoroughly human, with as many virtues and faults as anyone thought of as normal. We understand that Richard could have done the right thing, or the wrong, because the ability to go either way, is thoroughly and disappointingly, the truth about who we all are.

www.flightpaththeatre.org | www.divergenttheatrecollective.com

Review: The Hero Leaves One Tooth (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jul 14 – 29, 2023
Playwright: Erica J. Brennan
Director: Cam Turnbull
Cast: Kira-Che Heelan, Michael Mcstay, Tom Rodgers, Cara Whitehouse, Claudia Shnier, Patricio Ibarra, David Woodland
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Neeve had gone through great pains, to remove the teeth from her vagina, only to discover that it all grows back after 5 days. In Erica J. Brennan’s The Hero Leaves One Tooth, the folkloric phenomenon of vagina dentata is explored within a context, that feels very much like our contemporary reality. It is the post-#MeToo era, and even our biology is acting up, with our bodies creating new ways of retaliation against the patriarchy. Cleverly conceived, Brennan’s writing is abundant in intrigue, but slightly deficient with its narrative. Even though dialogue tends to be excessively obtuse, its personalities are imbued with enigmatic charm.

Direction by Cam Turnbull revels in the surrealist qualities of the play, fashioning flamboyant gestures that deliver an enjoyable theatricality, although some of the comedy can feel forced and contrived. Set design by Meg Anderson needs greater consideration for exits and entrances, but is otherwise effective in transforming the space into a site of familiar domesticity. Jasmin Borsovszky’s lights are robust and ambitiously rendered, to depict both realism and something decidedly more nightmarish. Sound by Zac Saric and music by Alexander Lee-Rekers with Saric, keep us in a state of anxiety, for a show determined to expose our world for its unrelenting bleakness. Songs by Jake Nielsen add comically macabre dimensions, furthering a sense of the bizarre.

The cast is somewhat lacking in chemistry, but individual performances are generally strong. Kira-Che Heelan’s visible restraint as Neeve, conveys with accuracy how we deal with trauma in everyday life. Michael McStay’s exuberance as Felix is a comical study in a kind of psychological denialism. In the role of Sasha is Claudia Shnier, who brings emotional intensity at the moment it matters most. Playing Mark with pertinent generosity, is David Woodland who manufactures complexity, in place of simplistic adversarial relationships.

In The Hero Leaves One Tooth, we observe that no matter what mental gymnastics a person puts themself through, the body will simply refuse to pretend that feelings do not exist. Some injuries can be healed, but it requires investment into processes that are usually more extensive than we are ready to submit ourselves to. Pain is often a sustained and prolonged experience. The mind will do what it can, in efforts to numb, for temporary relief, but there is no meaningful displacement that can occur outside of a person’s being. Terror manifests, maybe not as belligerent teeth in the vagina, but the body certainly needs a comprehensive experience of the truth.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.ratcatchtheatre.com