All Boys - every other theatre company (20 August 2024)

The Windsor knot. A symbol of prestige and success. In business, in politics, and, not by accident, in the private school system. There's a sequence in All Boys where the two alpha students show their latest recruit how to tie the perfect Windsor knot. This had me hurtling back to my own private school days many decades ago practising how to accomplish the perfect look with the school tie. I loved the sequence because of its authenticity. In that world this stuff matters. The school blazer. The school song. The war cry. I never memorised the song (it was a little twee) but forty years on I still know every single word to that war cry. The power of the Old Boy system. The weight of expectation of going to such a school. 

The world of the play is utterly familiar to me in its power dynamics, the demand for conformity to certain ideals, and the struggle for those who don't quite fit into this idealised notion of manhood. We didn't have the undertone of sexual abuse (that I'm aware of) but, in my time, there was one tragedy, several scandals, and bizarre behaviour that nowadays defies logic. All to make us turn into better men, I guess. 

The play examines this insular environment and what it does to the young men inside it. Crucially, it also makes the point that the cycle continues as the products of this system will send their sons to undergo the same 'education'. My experience was from 1979-83. The play is set in 2009-2014. Dare I say it, with recent revelations in the media emanating from similar schools, certain elements have not changed much over all that time. 

Writer Xavier Hazard sets the tone and context for his fictionalised story within this prestigious all boys school in Sydney with a great eye for detail. The tale is told largely in rapid fire vignettes as strands are slowly teased out between ten students. There is a graphic and disturbing incident early on that is the height of wayward boys enforcing their own distorted sense of the 'rites of passage'. An act that has seemingly been handed down from previous years and, worst of all, is expected. There is a revelation later on that lands like a gut punch both for the student involved and the audience. 

Both of these incidences have the potential to escalate into tales of retribution and there were several moments where I thought a Punk Rock style explosion was imminent. Hazard, however, eschews this path to focus on more character driven resolutions to all the conflicts he has crafted. Questions of sexuality, of conformity, of bullying, friendship, betrayal, carrying on the legacy of fathers, and working out who you are and who you're going to become. Then there are darker strands that involve sexual violence, drugs, and the horrendous cost of abuse.  

This may all sound confronting - and it is - but there is also great humour, amusingly inventive use of swearing, and moments of unexpected compassion. The play is almost two hours long with no interval but the lack of a propulsive narrative wasn't an issue as I was immersed in the intertwining strands and the character journeys. 

In this the play is greatly aided by the clockwork precision of Cezera Critti-Schnaars' direction which sees the actors almost in constant motion as they rotate into each scene or vignette with alacrity. I also loved the use of the whiteboard to show the passage of time as a different actor would write the changing year and class with a specific character trait that reflected their mood. Simple set design by Jake Pitcher - predominantly three benches and lattice work to delineate the stage - plus excellent lighting and sound design by Jolene Whilbley and Jess Nyanda Moyle respectively recreated the many locations from the dorm to hallways to class rooms and the assembly hall. Good costume design (those ties!) by Pitcher and the technology props all looked appropriate to the era. 

The all-male cast is uniformly excellent. I didn't quite sense the anger in Liam Longley's Hugh Ryan who is the victim of the dorm raid. He plays Hugh with a stoic nature that eventually sees an outburst at the main instigator though and handles a burgeoning relationship well. The other main character, Jack V, sees Samuel Bennet go through a gut wrenching arc with skill as the high achiever's sense of purpose is torpedoed leaving Jack V adrift, before literally finding his voice at the end.  

James Gant embodies the perfect student Patrick Mulligan as described by one of the other Jacks - good at everything - academics, sport, music, looks... but not so much that he draws attention. Nathan Calvert impresses as Connor who wears his heart on his sleeve as he tries to make friends and work through the confusion over his sexuality. Ray Teakle gets to play a tricky arc as Scott who stands up to the bullies, becomes one of them as a result, does something egregious, seems truly remorseful, and makes a stand to break the cycle. 

Jarrad Inman brings compassion and heart to Jack C while Ethan Gosatti is excellent as the third Jack who goes from debater to opportunist to drug dealer with real flair. Jono Battista commands the stage the moment he appears as the new student Will. James Ford is the head bully as A-Boy and he's all bluster and swagger but you sense he's the kind who'll back down when challenged. The real threat is B-Boy played with menace and physicality by Declan Cooper. He's dangerous because he believes the nonsense he's peddling and Cooper is riveting to watch. 

I can't say I 'enjoyed' watching this play but I did find it engrossing and it had me recalling events from my own school experience that I hadn't thought about in decades. There's a sense of authenticity in the details and the fictionalised elements are well within the bounds of believability. Which is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all. Worth a look for a confronting production that is well acted, well written, and staged with real energy in the intimate space of the Blue Room Theatre. The show runs until 24 August.