Tag Archives: walsh bay

Review: Stolen (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jun 6 – Jul 6, 2024
Playwright: Jane Harrison
Director: Ian Michael
Cast: Jarron Andy, Mathew Cooper, Kartanya Maynard, Stephanie Somerville, Megan Wilding
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Stories about five Indigenous people from the Stolen Generations, interweave in Jane Harrison’s 1998 play, Stolen. Fractured yet determined, it remains an important representation of a collective trauma, one that is fundamental to the experience of being Australian, no matter one’s class or creed. Direction by Ian Michael is distinctive in its sense of quietness, although its power and impact are undeniable. Michael’s presentation of Stolen bears a meditative quality, almost reticent with its drama, yet none will be able to escape its confrontational and introspective effects. The poignancy of this staging is sure to be unforgettable.

A set design by Renée Mulder is based on the simple idea, of depicting the vulnerability of Blak children, in a space that demonstrates unequivocally, their powerlessness in the face of colonialism. Trent Suidgeest’s lights enhance the severe coldness of this brutal history, and James Brown’s music has us absolutely gripped by its melancholic foreboding. There is a sensitivity to these designers’ work, that cushions us in a certain safety, whilst intricately facilitating our observations of some truly harrowing events.

An ensemble of charismatic First Nations actors brings great courage and commitment, to this narrative of appalling injustice. Jarron Andy, Mathew Cooper, Kartanya Maynard, Stephanie Somerville and Megan Wilding may be required to delve into unremitting tragedies in their re-enactments, but it is their incredible resilience as individuals and as a people, that leave an impression.

The sensation of catharsis, that features so prominently in many offerings of theatre, is discernibly missing from Stolen. We continue to live on stolen lands, unable and unwilling, to come to a satisfactory resolution, therefore it is that corresponding feeling of unease and ruefulness that we find lingering, when the performance concludes. We are deprived of emotional release, because so much work needs to be done, before any of us can be granted anything that resembles deliverance.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Into The Shimmering World (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Apr 2 – May 19, 2024
Playwright: Angus Cerini
Director: Paige Rattray
Cast: Kerry Armstrong, Colin Friels, Renee Lim, James O’Connell, Bruce Spence
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Ray is older now, but the life of a humble farmer means a conventional retirement is never quite within reach. In addition to his ailing health, the persistent drought seems determined to only make things harder. His wife Flossy, along with their sons, are however reliable sources of emotional support, and in Angus Cerini’s Into the Shimmering World, we see Ray’s last years becoming increasingly meaningful, even if the struggles never subside.

It seems a simple existence that Cerini’s play depicts, but it speaks profoundly from a space of thorough authenticity. There are no frills to Ray and Flossy’s days in the bush, so our explorations can only be about the essential and important qualities, of what makes a life worth living. Direction by Paige Rattray insists we pay attention to the minutiae, so that we come to an understanding, that it is in the details, that we can discover something truly significant, or even eternal, within fleeting moments that usually feel inconsequential. Into the Shimmering World takes us away from so much that is time-wasting and petty, and for 90 minutes, provides an opportunity to meditate on that which is real and noble.

That virtuousness pertaining to notions of simplicity, is reflected in a production design by David Fleischer, that functions purely to facilitate storytelling. There is nothing extraneous in Ray’s life, so there is nothing frivolous to be found in the set and costumes. Lights by Nick Schlieper do however manufacture instances of theatrical elevation, most notably during scenes that venture into the metaphysical. Music and sound by Clemence Williams are crucial in helping calibrate our temperament, in a show that is full of constant, but subtle, shifts in tone.

It is a deceptively quiet presentation, memorable for its stillness, but always with a submerged rumbling, that feels very much like the unabating sensation of human upheaval. Actor Colin Friels embodies that contained drama, in a portrayal of Ray that is remarkable for its integrity and hence, believability. Like most Australian men of his generation, Ray is not one for words, but Friels does excellently at conveying the textures of turmoil, that are so crucial to our appreciation of the work. Kerry Armstrong plays Flossy with warmth and tenderness, so that we may approach the tale with sensitivity. Other members of cast include Renee Lim, James O’Connell and Bruce Spence, all of whom bring thoughtfulness that help deliver valuable insights inherent in Cerini’s writing.

Legacy is not about vanity, but responsibility. We can deliberate endlessly about the meaning of life, but a commitment to leaving the world a better place than how one had found it, is the key to existential fulfilment.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: A Fool In Love (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Feb 6 – Mar 17, 2024
Playwright: Van Badham (after Lope de Vega)
Director: Kenneth Moraleda
Cast: Arkia Ashraf, Alfie Gledhill, Melissa Kahraman, Johnny Nasser, Contessa Treffone, Aaron Tsindos, Megan Wilding
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Phynayah is on the verge of turning 30, and unless she marries soon, a substantial inheritance will be forfeited. There is no shortage of suitors, but her serious lack of intellect means that the men are only in it for the money, and even Phynayah knows that love cannot be built solely on greed. Van Badham’s A Fool in Love, is an ultramodern adaptation of Lope de Vega’s 1613 play La dama boba, in which we explore matters of the heart and mind.

Badham’s work is further concerned with archetypal portrayals of women, and with Phynayah’s foolishness juxtaposed against her sister Vanessa’s book smarts, A Fool in Love wants us to consider the ways in which we are accustomed to talking about women, and the repercussions of those conventions. This is all done however, through a great deal of humour, in a production that labours too hard perhaps, to get the laughs.

The story is thought-provoking, and even though Badham succeeds at earning our investment into Phynayah’s plight, there is an obscure quality to the dialogue, probably derived from the age of the original, that provides a conversational style that is slightly rigid. Direction by Kenneth Moraleda is wonderfully flamboyant, and even though overzealous with its comedy, delivers a show that deeply engages our senses.

Set and costumes by Isabela Hudson revel in an unambiguous campness, as though indicating a queer attitude overlaying this feminist retelling of an old tale. Hudson too pokes fun wherever she can, especially in reference to how we perceive gender and class in the present moment. Benjamin Brockman’s lights add to the flamboyance, taking many opportunities to induce excitement in a production that is unafraid of being flashy. Sounds and music by Michael Toisuta could demonstrate greater sensitivity for the atmosphere being manufactured, but bears a dynamism nonetheless, that adds to the vibrancy of the piece.

Actor Contessa Treffone is a splendid Phynayah, genuinely hilarious but also unequivocally poignant when we need her to dial up the tension. Also extremely comical is Aaron Tsindos who as Lee and Neeson, never misses a beat with his jokes, yet offering consistent clarity to the intentions of both his roles. Johnny Nasser and Megan Wilding are equally fabulous with their timing and sensibilities, able to keep things believable, whilst convincingly inhabiting very heightened spaces. Arkia Ashraf, Alfie Gledhill and Melissa Kahraman are manifestly committed to all their parts, in a staging that is never short of manic energy.

It could be true that no woman is truly stupid, that it could just be that some of us make poor choices. In a world that often restricts us to inferior options, and that keeps us in disagreeable situations, many women can appear to make bad decisions, when in fact we are simply disallowed to live out our full potential. There is so much of what we are capable of, that is deemed inappropriate, repugnant or ruinous, by systems that only thrive when we are subjugated. Whether Phynayah develops her intellect, grows in courage, or stays the very same, she is always already divine.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Send For Nellie (Wharf 1 Theatre)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jan 10 – 14, 2024, with further performances at Art House Wyong (January 19–20) and Merrigong Theatre Company in Wollongong (February 14–17)
Playwright: Alana Valentine
Director: Liesel Badorrek
Cast: Elenoa Rokobaro, Eleanor Stankiewicz
Images by Wendell Teodoro

Theatre review
Born 1900 in Sydney, Nellie Small worked many of her adult years as an entertainer, eventually establishing a career as a male impersonator in the 1930s. As a gender non-conformist, and a prominent person of colour living in Australia a century ago, Small remains an important figure in our queer history. Alana Valentine’s play in a cabaret style Send for Nellie, is an admirable attempt at immortalising the memory of Small. It is a respectful tribute, albeit offering a somewhat sanitized impression of Sydney nightlife.

At just an hour’s duration, with an abundance of song-and-dance incorporated into the staging, Send for Nellie is an excellent showcase for a performer like leading lady Elenoa Rokobaro, whose powerful vocals and precise execution of choreography, elevates the presentation with her exceptional polish. There is however an absence of a certain queer sensibility, that we know instinctively to be a crucial element in any recounting of Small’s life. Eleanor Stankiewicz plays several supporting characters, each one more vibrant than the last, but none of whom distract from the main attraction. Also a delight is the three-piece band of women musicians with Zara Stanton as Musical Director, although it is worth pointing out, that acoustics are a major sore point in this production.

Direction by Liesel Badorrek gives Send for Nellie an abundance of variation and movement, but the show never really connects. We feel as though the soul is missing, from a person we want to know better. On a positive note, visual design is generally of a high standard, for a work as handsome as the person it wishes to memorialise.

For the benefit of every person in queer communities, we must continue to tell stories about our forebears, in order that we may be inspired by their resilience, their resourcefulness and their innumerable achievements. We need always to see how as a people, we continually prove them wrong, that we are of great worth, that what they have construed of us for generations, is reprehensible and must always be met with resistance. To have survived her times as a queer person of colour, Nellie Small was unequivocally a warrior. It would not have been easy, but it does mean that greatness is absolutely within our grasp.

www.thearthousewyong.com.au

Review: Oil (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Nov 4 – Dec 16, 2023
Playwright: Ella Hickson
Director: Paige Rattray
Cast: Saif Alawadi, Violette Ayad, Jing-Xuan Chan, Callan Colley, Charlotte Friels, Josh McConville, Benedict Samuel, Brooke Satchwell, Damien Strouthos, Anne Tenney
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
Ella Hickson’s Oil begins in 1889 with young May falling pregnant with Amy, whilst navigating abject poverty in Cornwall, England. With each subsequent chapter, May and Amy jump decades ahead theatrically, allowing us to see an evolution of English womanhood in parallel with the industrial revolution and, more specifically, the modern history of petroleum. It is a complex, although surprisingly comprehensible, work that deals with environmental degradation, along with providing an evaluation of the trajectory of Western feminism, as well as a meditation on human nature.

Oil talks about our survival, including both our ingenuity and our incapacities, for a narrative on our progress, and perhaps regressions, to offer new reflections on human propensities, benevolent and otherwise, that may inspire improved methods for how we may forge ahead. Paige Rattray’s remarkable direction of the work captivates with endless intrigue, for something that could have easily become overly intellectual. It asks many questions, and leaves them unanswered, yet we feel sated by the end, nourished by passionate and pointed depictions of our shared pasts and likely futures.

Actor Brooke Satchwell brings scintillating intensity and focus to May, the maternal figure who always intends to do her best, but who is never safe from making errors. Satchwell’s confidence helps gain our trust in the unpredictable storytelling, taking us on a confronting ride that proves to be thoroughly thought-provoking. Amy is played by Charlotte Friels, spirited and purposeful with her creative choices, admirable for her ability to cultivate excellent chemistry with all she partners with. The leads are supported by a highly proficient ensemble, with each performer leaving a strong impression, in a detailed and refined presentation of an urgent message.

Set design by Emma White is wonderful in its versatility, cleverly adapting to the requirements of each era, as the play takes inordinately big leaps through the years. The creation of props for the show are especially commendable, completely fascinating in the ways they embellish the space for a series of imagery to manufacture an absorbing realism. David Fleischer’s costumes are commensurately believable, adorning the cast with a persuasive sense of naturalism, even when we step into the realm of science fiction. The stage, in the round, is illuminated meaningfully by Paul Jackson, who demonstrates great care with how we perceive lights, in a tale based on the immense repercussions of our relationship with crude oil. Sound and music by Clemence Williams are intricately rendered, whether with their subtle influence or through bigger dramatic gestures, all effective in keeping our psyche deeply invested.

May wants always to make noble decisions, but there is something about her dedication to her own family unit that eventually appears selfish. We see May’s struggles for survival, and her earnest efforts in providing for Amy, and learn about the ignorance and the carelessness, in how we have conceived of the future. Oil encourages us to imagine alternatives, where we had perhaps previously believed that none exist. It contextualises existential threat in a way that makes us realise the inevitability of shifting our lives, and makes us want the notion of sustainability to henceforth become essential and unyieldingly ubiquitous.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Is God Is (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Sep 15 – Oct 21, 2023
Playwright: Aleshea Harris
Directors: Zindzi Okenyo, Shari Sebbens
Cast: Henrietta Enyonam Amevor, Clare Chihambakwe, Kevin Copeland, Masego Pitso, Cessalee Stovall, Darius Williams, Patrick Williams, Grant Young
Images by Pia Johnson

Theatre review

Racine and Anaia are heavily scarred, by cruel and neglectful parents who seem to know nothing about nurturing or caring for their children. Left to their own devices, the twin sisters can only understand the world as violent and savage, as we watch them embark on an odyssey of murder, in Aleshea Harris’ Is God Is. A revenge fantasy filled with wild imagination and scintillating humour, the play is both terrifying and hilarious, in its portrayals of wayward youth, unhinged femininity and recalcitrant Blackness. The United States have never looked so subversive.

Directed by Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens, Is God Is delivers delicious humour, keeping us on the edges of our seats with unpredictable characters, who prove to be truly and thoroughly intriguing. There is nothing normal about Racine and Anaia’s lives, and seeing things through their eyes, means a completely fascinating, and dangerous, experience.

Costumes by Renée Mulder conjure imagery of ruined innocence, offering a childlike perspective, but one in a state of decay, as a constant reminder of the story’s despairing centre. Mulder’s set design involves a protean structure evoking notions of home, establishing for the production a whimsical style that draws parallels with the much more wholesome fare of juvenile television programming. Lights by Jenny Hector help manufacture drama, but is somewhat lacking when required to convey a sense of macabre during key moments of repugnance, for this occasion of genre theatre. Sounds and music are effectively rendered, by Joe Paradise Lui, to ensure that we navigate the varying tones of the production, as it slips and slides ever so subtly between comedy and horror.

Henrietta Enyonam Amevor and Masego Pitso play Anaia and Racine respectively, both actors vivacious and charismatic, able to blend naivety with brutality, for their confronting depictions of civilisation in disarray. The troubling pair’s mother is performed by Cessalee Stovall, who guides us to the truthful core of Is God Is, without sparing us the necessary discomfort of having to acknowledge the pain in that truth. Also remarkable is Darius Williams, who as the grandiose poet Scotch, gives us some of the biggest laughs, in a fabulous acerbic take on youthful and misguided masculinity. It is a marvellous cast, with each individual leaving an excellent impression with the complexities they introduce, along with the sheer entertainment they manufacture, for this very dark tale.

It only makes sense, that the most audacious fantasies should come from the most marginalised. Young, Black women are routinely underestimated, diminished and shunned. Being the very antithesis and embodiment of that which is pale, male, stale and therefore most highly valued, their perspective from a position diametrically opposite to the hegemony, is what will reveal the most of our ills. Is God Is may not choose to engage directly or explicitly with all our social issues, but just to have art of this nature materialise, is an indication of our capacity to shift, and a reminder that culture is always malleable.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au | www.mtc.com.au

Review: Constellations (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

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: The Poison Of Polygamy (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jun 8 – Jul 15, 2023
Playwright: Anchuli Felicia King (based on the novel by Wong Shee Ping, translated by Ely Finch)
Director: Courtney Stewart
Cast: Ray Chong Nee, Hsin-Ju Ely, Silvan Rus, Shan-Ree Tan, Merlynn Tong, Kimie Tsukakoshi, Anna Yen, Gareth Yuen
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

Sleep-Sick appears from the very beginning, as a ghost with his throat brutally slit, indicating that things do not end well. In the 1909 novel The Poison of Polygamy《多妻毒》by Wong Shee Ping 黃樹屏, our narrating protagonist tells his epic story, of journeys between Guangdong in China, and Victoria in Australia, during the goldrush era. We soon discover that it was Sleep-Sick’s opium habit that instigated this riveting chain of events, one that Wong had undoubtedly conceived as a moralistic tale. Involving sins of greed and debauchery, The Poison of Polygamy is typical of traditional Chinese attitudes, in a style that is not unlike many classics charting a man’s downfall, following his failure to abstain from depravity.

In Anchuli Felicia King’s stage adaptation however, the moral centre is shifted from personal foibles, to an emphasis on deficiencies that are cultural and systemic in nature. Sleep-Sick’s narrative now operates as allegory, in a play that demonstrates undeniable interest, in the nature of capitalism and the detrimental effects of colonialism. King’s reshaping of The Poison of Polygamy is thereby turned into something much more pertinent to our times, one that addresses our unmitigating concerns around the idea of a decline in this civilisation. All the amusing salaciousness that feature in the original is however gloriously retained. Money, sex, and murder are key ingredients, in a show that explores our most primal and unchanging desires.

The production satisfies on many levels, under the astute directorship of Courtney Stewart, who utilises fully the text’s numerous dimensions, to deliver a complex and thoroughly engrossing work of theatre. Highly innovative and wonderfully imaginative, Stewart transforms an empty stage into  exciting scenes, offering an experience that pulsates with a continual sense of anticipation as a result of its unpredictability, and disarming with its scintillating sardonic humour.

James Lew’s design is thankfully only elementally evocative of what might be considered a Chinese aesthetic, able to circumvent the cliché of chinoiserie, whilst creating imagery that look commensurate with how we believe this world to have been. Lights by Ben Hughes are rigorously conceived, agile in shifting us between distinct spaces, and powerful at manufacturing atmosphere. Music by Matt Hsu couches the action in an air of authenticity, and along with sound design by Guy Webster, engage our hearing for a consistent feeling of enrichment, subconsciously perhaps, that boosts our enjoyment.

Actor Shan-Ree Tan is an extraordinary leading man, totally captivating with his intricate depictions of and commentary on Sleep-Sick, successfully transforming a character with many flaws into a person we are desperate to know everything about. Kimie Tsukakoshi plays femme fatale Tsiu Hei with delicious aplomb, stunning in her unapologetically grand portrayal of the seductive villain, somehow never descending into caricature, and always able to provide psychological rationale for all the outrageous behaviour.

Sleep-Sick’s long suffering wife Ma is made dignified by Merlynn Tong’s mettle and spirit. Her capacity to represent both the hardest and softest aspects of the old-fashioned Chinese woman, conveys an admirable defiance alongside the inevitable victimisation that defines her narrative. The incredibly versatile Gareth Yuen shines not only as the poet Pan, but also in two smaller roles Ng and Song, unforgettable with his impeccable timing, and a meticulously calibrated physicality that draws us deep into the nuances of everything he wishes to say. It is a fantastic cast of eight, each performer contributing passion and diligence, in what feels like an unprecedented production about Asian-Australian identities.

Through a story about early Chinese settlers, we are invited to contemplate both the contributions of minority communities on this land, as well as our rarely interrogated complicity in colonialism. The dispossession of Indigenous peoples is our greatest sin, one that non-Indigenous people of colour have yet to sufficiently own up to. In The Poison of Polygamy we observe also the disturbing congruence between Asian and white values, especially in terms of how we regard money. We may be able to celebrate what might be thought of as an Asian proclivity for sharing and for society building, but there is no denying our tendencies for exploitation and pillage. Wrongdoers in the play eventually meet their punishment, but the ending is far from happy ever after. There is a lesson to be learned about how we rectify mistakes, not only of our own but also of our forebears, and one suspects a major paradigm shift is in order.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au | www.laboite.com.au

Review: Fences (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Mar 25 – May 6, 2023
Playwright: August Wilson
Director: Shari Sebbens
Cast: Bert LaBonté, Markus Hamilton, Damon Manns, Molly Moriarty, Zahra Newman, Dorian Nkono, Darius Williams
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review

In 1950s Pittsburgh USA, Troy and Rose try their level best at making a life for themselves and their children. Harsh conditions as evidenced most concretely in discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the time however, means that the couple’s dreams were always going to be dashed, no matter their effort. August Wilson’s Fences deals with the effects of racial subjugation, from the microcosmic perspective of a single family unit, and its inevitable disintegration. As with all great tragedies, we find ourselves rooting for characters, but also simultaneously anticipating their demise. In Fences, we understand that it is not the playwright’s manipulations that prevent the Maxsons from thriving, but the very realities of racism and its accompanying systemic reverberations, that have kept generations of African-Americans from fulfilling their greatest potential.

Powerfully directed by Shari Sebbens, the production speaks pointedly on both the intimate and the broader social contexts, of the Maxson family’s story. The drama works poignantly whether one is concerned with the personal aspects of Fences, or the implications on community, of a far-reaching story like this. Sebbens’ work feels beautifully organic, yet its intricacies are honed with great detail, resulting in a meticulously rendered presentation that always sings naturally and connects profoundly.

Set design by Jeremy Allen transports us somewhere thoroughly believable. Even though the Maxsons’ front yard from 70 years ago only exists in our imagination, what our eyes encounter is something that seems replete with verisimilitude, as are Allen’s costumes, similarly accurate in their depictions of Black life in mid-century Pennsylvania. Verity Hampson’s lights are conservatively, but thoughtfully, calibrated to engender an intense sentimentality, for a play that requires of us, emotional as well as intellectual investment. Sensual and soulful music by Brendon Boney draws from American Blues traditions, so that our sensibilities remain firmly in that historic time and place, one comprising the complex embroilment of bittersweet nostalgia and despicable oppression.

Actor Bert LaBonté delivers sensationally as Troy, with unremitting authenticity and disarming passion. He is heartbreaking yet reprehensible, sympathetic yet frustrating, in his noble portrayals of emasculation and righteous indignation. Zahra Newman brings great vigour to her interpretation of Rose, allowing the feminine half of the Fences story to make an almost comparable impact. Highly engaging is Darius Williams as son Cory, impressively nuanced and exquisitely tender, in a devastating narrative of circular histories. Markus Hamilton too, has us captivated as the mirthful Bono, with perfect timing and an extraordinary presence. Other cast members are Damon Manns, Molly Moriarty and Dorian Nkono, each one more charming than the other, in a show full of persuasive and likeable personalities.

Troy is fixated on his shattered hopes of becoming a professional baseball player of great renown. It is true that no person’s life can be guaranteed happiness ever after, based on the reversal of a singular precedent circumstance. It is also true however, that if racism is not the annihilating force pervasive in so many of our lives, Troy would have achieved not only his heart’s desire, but also a significantly improved existence overall, for himself and for his loved ones. Like Troy, many of us are conditioned to think more about personal failures, than to figure out ways to dismantle those harmful systems, within which all have to operate. Despondency is understandable, but those energies can be turned outwards, negative as they may be, to forge new paths that could bend the arc of history.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Hubris & Humiliation (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jan 20 – Mar 4, 2023
Playwright: Lewis Trenton
Director: Dean Bryant
Cast: Henrietta Enyonam Amevor, Mathew Cooper, Roman Delo, Celia Ireland, Melissa Kahraman, Andrew McFarlane, Ryan Panizza
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review

Elliott is leaving Brisbane to work in Sydney, and also to find a rich husband, because his mother Bernice has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, to a catfishing incident. Much like the Jane Austen oeuvre, from which it takes inspiration, Lewis Trenton’s Hubris & Humiliation is on some levels an examination of class, and on others a frivolous romantic romp. Its plot may unravel to a flimsy conclusion, but the journey is nonetheless satisfying, with witty dialogue and fabulously observed characters, making for a truly wonderful time at the theatre.

Direction by Dean Bryant is unabashedly campy, but laced with an acerbic edge to prevent any sense of hollow affectation. His show is relentlessly effervescent, amusing at every turn, often dazzling with genuine hilarity. Set design by Isabel Hudson is suitably ostentatious, with a commendable versatility that accommodates the play’s many location changes. Hudson’s costumes are brightly hued, to keep our eyes sated and occupied. Lights by Alexander Berlage provide amplification to the brassy quality of the piece, but are also effective at delivering emotional tenderness when required. There is an elegant restraint to Matthew Frank’s sound and music, able to facilitate action and elicit responses, but careful to remain unobtrusive.

Extraordinary work by the cast of Hubris & Humiliation makes it an utterly memorable experience. Elliott is played by Roman Delo, whose exceptional instincts bring impressive elevation to a role that could easily be perceived as banal. Delo’s confident charisma is the unequivocal lynchpin, of this staging’s success. Ryan Panizza plays dual roles Warren and William with conviction, offering strong counterpoint to Elliott’s incorruptibility.

Women performers steal the show, along with our hearts, in a range of supporting parts that give depth and substance, to the irrepressible comedy. Henrietta Enyonam Amevor, Celia Ireland and Melissa Kahraman are inventive and joyful, each demonstrating their own admirable talents, in the exalted art of mirthful storytelling. Matthew Cooper and Andrew MacFarlane create fascinating personalities that address our need for progressive versions of masculinity, in this tale of new unions and modern sexualities.

It is funny how we care so much about the sex lives of others. This need to probe and police what people do in private, is however no laughing matter, with many having suffered persecution through the ages, for not following the rules. Hubris & Humiliation takes place not in Austen’s Regency era, but in the here and now, and to see everyone free to make new rules in its emancipatory narrative, is gratifying. Nothing should hold us back from life’s infinite pleasures, as long as we stick to the simple principle, that no one gets hurt, and that enthusiastic consent remains integral to every kind of sexy.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au