Friday Five: Light and Dark Theatre Productions

1. The 39 Steps - N.U.T.S., Ralph Wilson Theatre: Exactly what one might expect of a student production; their friends and family will love it, and everyone involved will be thoroughly pleased with themselves. For someone without connection to the participants it drags, despite some of the delivery being too shrill and fast to be intelligible, and some of the performances tip into self-indulgence. There are too many unearned pauses and lack of comedic understanding. James Seymour in the lead role of Richard Hannay is the only one who looks like they know what they are doing - basically trying to entertain an audience and further a plot - despite the lack of direction and focus-pulling from the rest of the cast. Extensive breaks for set changes between scenes are unnecessary and lose the frenetic energy the piece should have, making it instead an exercise in drama school self-satisfaction. The famous hat scene was chaotic and not in a good way. I agree with the line, 'Just get on with it'.
2. Helios - Wright and Grainger, The Courtyard: The collaboration of Alex Wright (words) and Phil Grainger (music) brings modern interpretations of Greek myth to a global audience, via Yorkshire. Helios and Selene played on alternate nights and back-to-back and, with each show calling in at about an hour, you can experience them both in an evening, which is what I did, starting with Helios. The myth, attributed to Euripides, concerns Helios, whose winged-horse chariot draws the sun across the sky each day, and his son, Phaeton, who insists he be allowed a go, only to find his abilities do not match his bravado, as he loses control of the steeds and the chariot threatens to plunge to earth. Of course, Zeus intervenes and strikes Phaeton down with a lightning bolt. Here, one man, Alexander Wright himself, commands the stage, standing in a sacred circle of lightbulbs and connecting with the audience as he tells us his story. It is as simple as that, and yet an incredibly enriching experience. He weaves a narrative of fast cars and teenagers, boasts, dares and risk, loss of concentration, and blinding sunrises on bridges. The bond between a busy father and a stroppy son is all too real and utterly heartbreaking. As he literally invites the listeners into his tale (handing out printed sheets for them to read when he needs another voice for a character), he proves that storytelling is an art and, when done well, it is absolutely spellbinding.
3. Selene - Wright and Grainger, The Courtyard: And as night follows day, we come to Selene, the sibling show. It is gloriously calm and strong, described as 'a story about the goddess and the dark side of the moon'. As in the previous show, it focuses more on the offspring than the titular god, in this case, Pandida (known in her youth as Panda), the daughter of Zeus and the moon goddess, Selene. Her coming-of-age tale involves scholastic arguments with boys, a profound interest in the moon landings, midnight moonlight swims, night clubbing raves, and the majesty of an eclipse. Megan Drury is the performer who guides and supports us through this story, with warmth and compassion in what is a deeply tender and transformative experience. 
4. Playback (Or, a Play About But Not Starring a Famous Politician) - The Street Presents (Resident Street Program), Street 2: In childhood development, 'playback' refers to how children process, practice, and replicate experiences through play. This cycle allows them to make sense of the world by reenacting real-life scenarios, testing rules, and consolidating their cognitive, linguistic and social skills. In theatre terms, playback refers to an interactive style of improvisational theatre in which audience members share real-life personal stories and watch actors enact them on the spot. This play draws on the playwright's (Tom Glassey) experience working in the Canberra press gallery and explores how media framing, editing, soundbites and deconstruction of truth shape modern politics. Blending traditional stage elements, live-video projections and screen editing, the production captures the media landscape in a totally engrossing manner. Deborah Grant who was 'aged out' of broadcast television now hosts the Proper Gander podcast and has the opportunity to interview Scott Morrison. She has painstakingly prepared and has questions she is determined he will not evade. She is assisted by a Young Man who turns up wanting to be an intern but with no apparently relevant skills and who threatens to be more hindrance than help. Casting Andrea Close as Deborah is a stroke of genius - as well as being a fantastic actor, she was also a journalist and presenter for the ABC for a decade and subsequently a media and communications manager for several high-level organisations. Her understanding of the inherent manipulations and machinations is confident and captivating, bringing both pathos and humour to the role that reveals the personal face of federal politics. Meanwhile, Tyker Jenkins is a quick-witted foil to her anguish, his improvisation skills perfectly suited to the chameleon character of the unprincipled ambitious apprentice, or the many faces of the former PM. Criag Alexander's direction is as tight and slick as the videography which highlights and supplements the on-stage action to deliver a resoundingly good play. Full disclosure: I was involved in an initial workshop of this play back in December 2024, so it is fascinating to see how far it has grown.
5. The Good Boy Game - Q the locals, The Q: An interesting play, but the production lacked any cohesion or vision with certain style elements (mainly sound) prioritised over substance (acting and theatrical unity). A young man, James (Alastair McKenzie) writes in his diary that he wishes to kill his classmates, so his parents, Mary-Beth (Giuliana Baggoley) and Sam (Bruce Hardie) lock him in the loft and try to de-radicalise his teenage urges. Meanwhile, Mary-Beth is seeing a counsellor, Judith (Elaine Noon), who suggests she try a points-based reward system - the Good Boy Game of the title - to encourage James to more acceptable behaviour. Apparently, this is a world premiere of a new work by Petrick Vermillion, so the overwhelming similarities with Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid's script for the film, Good Boy must be entirely coincidental. Baggoley and Hardie have limited rapport and barely seem to be listening to the other actors; McKenzie is suitably entitled and whiny (albeit with diction and projection issues) but lacking in strength, anger and threat, and Noon has an intelligence and commitment to the character which is in such contrast to the others that she seems to be in a different play. The set delineates the spaces well although much of the decisive action is at the back of the stage, and garage/ grunge intros to scenes are highlighted with projections of time and place. Unfortunately, it smacks of enfant-terrible-directing (Caitlin Baker); wanting to be provocative but unable to translate into a clear vision. There are too many disparate elements to make a harmonious production. Reading the play opens up many avenues of enquiry – this production doesn’t follow any of them through.

Friday Five: And Yet More Theatre Outings

And the latest offerings are (admittedly from a while back before I got engrossed with my own show):

Talk by Johnathan Biggins at The Playhouse

1. Noel Coward Double Bill (Weatherwise & Mild Oats) at Teatro Vivaldi - Director Tony Turner unearths two delightful short (one-act) plays by The Master. A simple drawing-room set serves to provide all the context required to enjoy these theatrical morsels between meals. They are perfectly suited to the dinner-theatre theme with humour arising from well-acted awkward situations. Whether unaccountably thrown together in a bachelor's apartment (awkward pauses are perfectly played by Henry Strand and Alessa Kron) or dealing with a hypnotised woman who believes she's a dog (a great comic turn by Elaine Noon), strict adherence to manners and deportment are not negotiable. They combine to form a veritable amuse bouche.
2. First Seen 2017: Hired Mother at The Street - The First Seen programme helps playwrights develop their work by presenting them in rehearsed readings to the public, who then engage in conversation which will hopefully lead to further progress and production. Cathy Petocz's imaginative play deals with mother/daughter interactions and how they affect (and are affected by) the greater cosmos. One of the characters is a piece of moon rock who witnesses the maternal breakup and attempts to put the relationship back together. However, as she falls for the daughter and wonders about the need for a powerful female figure in her life, she waxes and wanes in both provocation and potency. There's a lot to like here and I look forward to seeing it hit the stage.
3. Talk produced by the Sydney Theatre Company at The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre - Jonathan Biggins' writing epitomises social and political satire in action. Set in a fantastically realised radio station, a talk-back jock (played with toe-curling credibility by John Walters) ignites vigilante justice: 'Whether it's using an i-pad or a pitchfork; a mob is still a mob.' A traditional journalist quits in despair after trying to pass on tips of the trade and ethics to an intern more bent on reporting a sizzling soundbite than cold hard facts. Meanwhile the TV executives are playing a ratings game which tramples on truth and lives to achieve figures and awards. It's all rather depressing but brilliantly executed. 
4. Verdict produced by Tempo Theatre Inc at Belconnen Community Theatre - Tempo Theatre under the helm of Jon Elphick tackle their latest Agatha Christie with their trademark enthusiasm and solid production values. Professor Karl Hendryk (Paul Jackson) is a romantic in terms of education but less so in other areas, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering invalid wife (Nikki- Lynne Hunter whose wheelchair confinement doesn't hamper her expressive performance) and her cousin (Monique Dyson) who also yearns for him. As we actually see the murder committed on stage (by an infatuated student - Kirsten Doyle), this particular puzzle is not so much a whodunnit as a willtheygetawaywithit? It's a faithful rather than an inspiring production, but it poses some interesting questions such as whether principles more important than people, and the Queen of Crime's less-than-sparkling dialogue is once again carefully handled. 
5. The 39 Steps produced by Canberra Repertory at Theatre 3 - Despite inexplicably deciding that the great Scottish hero, Richard Hannay (Patrick Galen-Mules) should be Canadian (with all the jarring inconsistencies that creates), Jarrad West and cast and crew attempt to squeeze every ounce of humour from Patrick Barlow's adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's film of John Buchan's novel. Steph Roberts is spectacular in her several roles, bringing nice differentiation to each. There is no corresponding subtlety in the clowns (Helen McFarlane and Nelson Blattman) who are somewhat overblown and their broad-stroke performances tend to merge multiple characters into one. If you're after a fast-paced frolic; a ridiculous roller coaster ride; a preposterous performance, and some jolly good fun, however, you could do worse.