FootyBoy - Wallaby Blue Company (2 February 2025)

Ah, that great Australian pastime, supported by governments, the media, big business and sees millions of people flocking to the theatr-- um, the football every year. Yes, I love my theatre AND my footy. Sure, I was feeling somewhat marginalised as an Eagles fan watching Dockers highlights on the big screen before the show started. But I can forgive such wayward transgressions... in a day or two.

Okay, down to business and this is a fusion of two of my loves so chances are I was pretty much in the bag for this straight away. There's a raucous crowd in attendance with lots of familiar faces from a certain training academy I hear is pretty good. 

The show sets me up with a beautiful misdirection early on, poking fun at the whole "sport is war" trope which I loathe (no, no it isn't). There's affection and cheekiness here before a serious thematic strand emerges pretty early on - this is about fathers and sons dressed up in a sports metaphor which also explores the mental as well as physical side of competitive sport. My Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, and any number of sports movies-loving brain kicks in and I'm feeling it.

The story trajectory is well trodden as most sports tales are. It's the characters who are the differentiating point and some rather spectacular choreography that is frenetic and precise with a footy in hand and not one single drop. Which I have to say, given how furious the movement becomes at times, is worth BOG honours and three Brownlow votes. No, I'm not going to explain that to the people in the audience who alarmingly claimed to "know nothing about football" as we were filing out. 

That's the thing about sport though. You don't need to know because football may not be war but it IS great theatre. They just have much bigger venues then your standard theatre. Oh, and all that sponsorship and media coverage and... sigh... I digress. 

The story in short: star player for the Dolphins James "FootyBoy" Chappell (Michael Kavanagh) suffers a knock that takes him down to his own sunken place where his father, football legend Bill Chappell (Brad Francis) awaits. The son suffers by comparison to live up to the legend who hectors him to be better and claims ownership of his achievements. There are two arcs here - will James become his own man and will Bill see the error in his ways? As Fremantle doyen Chris Connolly might have once said, it's all about the journey. 

Meanwhile team captain Hands (Alice Schlipalius) - in this world the AFL and AFLW have seemingly merged into a super league - motivates the other players, Butter (Summer Rule) and Cox (Jai Craig-Fraser) with positive reinforcement, self-affirmations, and the use of crystals. She herself deals with a back injury which leads to... you can pretty much guess where that's heading but it doesn't matter because everything is done with great flair and humour. 

Schlipalius milks the sincerity in the "straight man role"; Craig-Fraser brings a goofy physicality and charm; with Rule showcasing exceptional comic timing, letting beats breathe in a very funny performance. Kavanagh gets the emotive arc which he handles well while Francis lends a little mongrel to Bill before a startling transformation. I don't know which cornfields his ghost has been hanging out in but it's waaaaaay funkier than Shoeless Joe's!

My only quibble is that there seemed to be a beat missing. Bill's arc is clear but the catalyst for the change is not there for mine. It felt more out of story convenience than character. Having said that, the subsequent scene is affecting but it's one thing I'd look at in the writing. What brings him back to his son? Otherwise the ending is every footy players' fantasy - to [redacted] which leaves everyone with a feel good sensation at final bows. 

I enjoyed this a lot. It's funny, fast and furious; shows clear affection for the sport and the types of characters who inhabit that world. There's a serious message under the humour about how our mental health can be adversely affected by expectations and negative reinforcement; how we can better manage that; and the power of forgiveness.

FootyBoy is directed by Art Walsh, David Blue, and Natasha Pearson with a relentless pace and energy. Walsh and Blue are also co-writers. The show is on at the State Theatre Centre as part of Fringe World until 8 February. 

What To Expect When You're No Longer Expecting - Roe Rowe Productions (1 February 2025)

I don't know how to review this show. At least not as a theatre critic. I don't want to talk about lighting or set design. Or critique performance and execution. 

I want to talk about how it made me feel. 

I want to talk about how it made a roomful of people FEEL.

If one of the prime motivations of theatre is to be authentic and truthful in the moment then this is a stunning example of exactly that. 

Everything else is secondary. 

I laughed. 

I cried. 

I could feel the honesty and compassion radiating from the stage. 

Roe Rowe and her husband Chris told the story of their pregnancy and loss with a generosity unlike anything I had experienced before.  

Anticipation, excitement, dread, devastation, and grief followed by bewilderment at the lack of support after such unbearable heartbreak. Everyone was nice, everyone was professional, but how does that acknowledge let alone begin to heal the loss Roe had experienced?

This is the conversation Roe and Chris wanted to start to address that gap. 

A vital conversation. 

A conversation that could prove to be a healing factor for so many people. A conversation that banishes any thought of shame. Or that couples are alone in facing this. A conversation that helps family and friends support their loved ones. 

There is great humour here. 

And raw emotion. 

And glimpses of anger.

But never any shame. 

It is Roe being utterly fearless and vulnerable and truthful. 

It is Chris by her side, on this journey together, every step of the way.

Roe sings. Chris plays guitar and piano. 

Original songs add to the emotional truth - not only in the lyrics but how they are delivered. 

The wistfulness of "Who Will You Be" as Roe wonders what sort of person her baby will grow up to be. The frustration and hurt of "How Are You? Not Okay." The anguish of "Goodbye" which is heartfelt in such a profound way.

There are tears and sniffles all around me. 

I'm one of the people holding back tears and failing. 

Tears for Roe and Chris. 

Tears for a friend and her husband. 

Tears because I am part of something that feels extraordinary and meaningful.

The conversation crucially includes Roe forcefully detailing what you should expect when you're no longer expecting - no more platitudes but tangible support mechanisms that help heal body and mind. 

The production honours this by creating a supportive environment with a breakout area at the back; a memorial wall for the names of lost babies; and messaging that details where *assistance can be sourced. Even the encouragement to step out if you feel overwhelmed.

The show may end but the conversation doesn't stop. So many women talk to Roe afterwards about their lived experience. Chris and director Vanessa Jensen are also on hand to discuss the production and issues it has raised. 

I thank them. For their generosity. For their honesty. And for an act of kindness I'm grateful for. 

Each person will react differently based on their lived experience and circumstances. Whether that be a form of catharsis; the ability to share their story; to begin to heal; or to walk out feeling lighter knowing they're not alone. For family and friends it gives enormous insight into what loved ones might be dealing with.

It's a wonderful show. 

An important one.

There may only be two performances in this run - grab a ticket for Sunday 2 February at 3pm - but somehow I suspect the show will have a long life far after Fringe World has finished. This is theatre in its most compelling form - raw, honest, vital, and necessary. 

*For support after suffering pregnancy loss the production suggests the services offered by Pink Elephants and Red Nose Grief and Loss.