Tag Archives: akimbo and co

Review: The Swell (Old Fitz Theatre)

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Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Feb 15 – Mar 2, 2024
Playwright: Isley Lynn
Director: Julia Billington
Cast: Jessica Bell, Katherine Hopwood Poulsen, Deborah Jones, Alexandra Keddie, Fiona Press, Monique Sallé
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Annie and Bel are planning their wedding, when Flo returns from out of town for a visit. A surprising connection blossoms between Flo and one of the brides-to-be, instigating drama to ensue in the most unimaginable way. An electrifying plot twist in Isley Lynn’s The Swell brings us to the edges of our seats, in an otherwise slightly pedestrian tale, of a queer love triangle.

There is a leniency in Julia Billington’s direction of the piece, that is perhaps overly reliant on what their cast chooses to bring to the stage. It is a delicate work however, with a sense of integrity, that prevents The Swell and its undeniable sensationalised aspects, from feeling in any way unrefined or pulpy.

Hannah Yardley’s set design is extremely simple, forming an appealing representation of rural England, although not always sufficiently vivid with how it helps us imagine the physical contexts, in which the three women intertwine. Lights by Saint Clair are suitably moody, bringing an alluring edge to this dark romance. Sound design by Clare Hennessy is consistently subtle, effective at harnessing tension, but could benefit with a bolder approach to achieve a more stirring result.

Six generous actors perform the roles across two generations, in a story spanning thirty years. Jessica Bell, Alexandra Keddie and Monique Sallé play the young women, each creating distinct personalities, but are not always convincing with the chemistry being generated. Katherine Hopwood Poulsen, Deborah Jones and Fiona Press deliver senior versions of the same characters, admirable for bringing the show to a satisfying climactic conclusion.

As we become increasingly comfortable with queerness in our art and lives, it is important that the particularities of our experiences as queer people are not disregarded. The Swell talks specifically about lesbians. In a climate of radical inclusivity, it is tempting to wish to represent as many marginalised people as possible, in each instance of theatre making, but we risk erasure of valuable differences pertaining to our LGBTQIA+ identities.

Emancipation naturally means that we will ultimately be freeing ourselves from labels, and we should always work towards a future of fewer limitations and greater possibilities, but there is power in embodying markers, especially those that carry with them, glorious histories of resistance, resilience and triumph. Lesbians have improved the world for everyone, in countless ways, and we must insist on their enduring and conspicuous presence.

www.oldfitztheatre.com.au | www.instagram.com/akimbo_co

Review: The Wasp (Kings Cross Theatre)

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Venue: Kings Cross Theatre (Kings Cross NSW), Dec 2 – 17, 2022
Playwright: Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Director: Becks Blake
Cast: Cara Whitehouse, Jessica Bell
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Carla and Heather were best friends at school, but things turned awry in Year 7. Reuniting 20 years later, we discover the depth with which those difficult times in their early teens, have affected these now grown women. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s The Wasp is a story of violence, one that relates particularly to the experience of youth violence by girls and women. We explore its enduring effects, looking at how a person is shaped over time, asking questions about the permanence of damage, and how we carry trauma through our lives. Carla and Heather’s stories are told with a thrilling boldness. Endless twists and turns, accompanied by truly scintillating dialogue, make The Wasp an immense delight, albeit a frequently harrowing one.

Directed by Becks Blake, we are given awesome insight into the psychological and emotional mechanics, of these two very unique yet realistic personalities. Blake makes explosive, each and every shocking revelation in the narrative. The drama is delicious, and the comedy consistently wicked, in a show memorable for its grit and edgy intensity. Fun and scary, The Wasp involves high stakes and controversial ideas, to provoke, to entertain and to engage.

Stage design by Axel Hinkley cleverly fuses two distinct spaces, into one harmonious whole. Hinkley’s costumes, like their set, are accurately rendered, to evoke time, place and importantly class, for this tale of two social strata. Lights by Martin Kinnane are simple, if slightly too subtle in the depiction of textural transformations, for how the relationship morphs between the two women. Johnny Yang’s sound design is wonderfully imaginative, and sensitive in its calibrations of atmosphere, as we delve deeper and deeper into the nightmare of old friends and their old grievances.

Actor Jessica Bell is stunning as Carla, hilarious in her portrayal of proletarian coarseness, and masterful with her concoctions of dramatic tension, keeping us wide eyed and slack jawed for the duration. Bell’s work on this occasion is truly a performance to remember. Heather is played by Cara Whitehouse, whose deep submergence into her character’s twisted world, convinces us of all her deranged antics. The pair is beautifully well-rehearsed, with a sense of intricacy that allows us to read infinitely closely to every detail being presented, and emerge feeling we have learned something remarkable.

Violence begets violence, if conventional wisdom is to be believed. It is true that the effects of violence reverberate beyond inciting incidents. Like the nature of karma, a transference occurs, whether from one person to others, or from one unto themselves. In The Wasp we see the trauma finding ways to manifest, always in ugly and horrific ways, extending inward or outward, to prolong its effects. Damage spreads, and it remains a mystery, if deep hurt can ever just go away.

www.kingsxtheatre.com

Review: Tongue Tied (Kings Cross Theatre)

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Venue: Kings Cross Theatre (Kings Cross NSW), Nov 11 – 26, 2022
Playwright: Clare Hennessy
Director: Sarah Hadley
Cast: Di Adams, Clementine Anderson, Kieran Clancy-Lowe, Michael C Howlett, Madelaine Osbourne, Eloise Snape
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Rising star journalist Mia is investigating a case of sexual assault, at a Sydney beverage company. The bigwig accused of the crime refuses to speak, and has sent publicist Parker to ameliorate. Clare Hennessy’s Tongue Tied is concerned with the ethics around reportage, especially as they pertain to the privacy rights of victims. We also examine the nature of sex crimes from the perspective of the survivor, and the complications that are no doubt involved, in how one chooses to move forward from a devastating incident.

There is charming dialogue to be found in Hennessy’s writing, but the intentional ambiguities built into the narrative of Tongue Tied tends to form a detraction, from the dramatic tensions that should ensue. Although there is an abundance of care for its flawed characters that prevents them from turning caricature, it is likely that audiences would find none of them particularly appealing. In a play with nobody to root for, we are left cold. Direction by Sarah Hadley bears a tepidity that makes things feel overly distanced, for a discussion that should clearly feel much more passionate.

Actor Eloise Snape is accomplished in her portrayal of Mia, with a knack for naturalist performance that helps a great deal, to make things believable. Kieran Clancy-Lowe is less convincing as Millennial corporate animal Parker, oddly innocent in his portrayal of wilful ignorance of rape culture, in this post-MeToo era.

Production design by Cris Baldwin is rendered in the most literal manner, featuring an oversized television screen that stays on stage for the entirety, after being used only for several commencing seconds of the show. Lights by Aron Murray and sound by Johnny Yang, offer effective assistance to scene transitions, that provide a sense of tautness to the production’s overall pace. At just over an hour, Tongue Tied does not overstay its welcome, and when it concludes, little is left to linger.

www.kingsxtheatre.com