Two Plays by Caryl Churchill - Melville Theatre Company (15 February 2025)

A preamble. In two parts.

Part one:

The first play finishes. I scurry off to the lobby to type some notes into my phone. I'm by myself and madly processing what I've just seen. I wander back in and talk briefly with an adjudicator whose opinions I respect. I retake my seat and the lady next to me asks what I thought. I offer some tentative views to which her and her friend thank me for the explanation. I'm sorry, what? Explanation? I'm still processing and feel nowhere close to explaining anything! I reveal I'm reviewing the show. On leaving for the night the lady good-naturedly wishes me, “good luck!” This makes me laugh.

Part two:

I'm a huge fan of discussing theatre in the moment so I grab a drink and stay. For me it's an integral part of the overall experience. Cast members, two of which are also the director of the show they're not acting in, come over. We have a wide-ranging discussion about the plays; about theme and meaning and the playwright's intent. The writing is deliberately obtuse and, as a writer, I'm grappling to understand the intended effect. I'm also experiencing these plays cold; the cast have worked on the text for weeks. Talking about it helps me order my thoughts and clarify my understanding. We end up getting kicked out of the theatre as it closes. Such conversations are a delight.

All this is to say, bear with me as I pick my way through these reviews. I apologise if I'm not as concise as I would like. These are difficult plays, however, there are joys to be found in their staging and value in thinking about them.

ESCAPED ALONE - 55 minute one act play 

A neighbour joins three friends having a cuppa in a suburban backyard. They discuss all kinds of things; some trivial, some fraught, some surprising, some puzzling. Meanwhile the neighbour narrates a dystopian future that is shocking and deliberately provocative.

Director Lucy Eyre has assembled an excellent cast - Suzannah Churchman, Caroline McDonnell, Natalie Burbage, and Susan Lynch. It's a real pleasure watching the four of them inhabit such diverse roles - Churchman as the emotionally fragile friend with a feline phobia that explodes into a striking, if somewhat overlong, monologue that treads the line between bizarre and heartbreaking. Burbage, whose character would rather be invisible than face the inequities of modern life. McDonnell as the brusque friend who cares not for others' feelings before delivering a stark monologue about the murder of her husband with unexpected ramifications.

Then there's Lynch as the neighbour who intrudes and is our narrator of sorts as she delivers brutal descriptions of a dystopian hellscape supported by the projection of images of a planet in distress - whether by climate change, natural disasters, manmade follies, political stupidity, and social inequality.

The lighting design by Lars Jensen resonates with me, having recently been on a film shoot where there were transitions back and forth between real and imagined scenes. The techniques used here are similar albeit on a bigger stage. The world of the backyard is bright and lush with greenery; the dystopian visions dark and disturbing. Sound design by Myles Wright accentuates the discomfort. Video projections (visual design by Dylan Randall) hint at how the calamitous disaster came to be. The language is, again, deliberately perverse in its choice of imagery. 

I wait. 

For an epiphany that links the bleakest of visions with the seemingly innocuous reality of these women's lives. I recall that Caryl Churchill wrote Top Girls and my response to that play eventually coming into sharp focus with a glorious revelation.

I wait. 

No epiphany comes. 

Until I am assaulted with TERRIBLE RAGE.

Those two words. Over and over. Lynch absolutely laid emotionally bare and vulnerable. It's an extraordinary moment. 

This isn't subtext. This is straight up text as theme. 

It's an angry play. It roils and spits venom. I feel the writer's fury.  

The juxtaposition is absolutely intended. We sit and talk about idle fears and concerns while the planet burns. The dialogue is almost malicious in how obtuse it is. It's a writer demanding you pay attention and, I expect, get angry yourself. 

Does it work? In the moment, no. I think Churchill has done herself a disservice by being too obtuse, too elusive. You can sense the audience grappling like I was with any sense of meaning. If you take the time to sit down and think about it and talk about it then yes, it does work on that basis. But it's a hard watch and will likely prove divisive to audiences. However, it is a showcase for fine performances and impressive staging, particularly as the script format itself, I believe, is equally impenetrable.   

I brace myself after the interval...

WHAT IF IF ONLY - 20 minute one act play 

I'm greeted with an open box structure onstage and an apple featured in a glass case. There's a kitchen setting where Lucy Eyre has moved from directing duties to playing a woman who is mired in grief. She tells the tale of a man who tried to paint an apple, then not paint an apple, eventually concluding that perhaps he should have tried to paint an orange instead. 

Again, an intriguing opening gambit as Eyre's "Someone" wishes her partner were still alive; taken by tragic circumstances out of her control. It's a naturalistic performance. A relatable one. A moving and honest one. 

Until hyper theatricality comes crashing into her structured world in the form of Jarrod Buttery's "Future/s", Clare Talbot's "Present", and Tanisha Mavunduse's "Child Future". Again, the juxtaposition is clearly intended, deliberately pushed, and stylised. Director Natalie Burbage gives licence to the actors playing these fantastical characters to go big; not only in performance but costume and lighting (Lars Jensen) as well.

Buttery goes full tilt vaudevillian shtick; Talbot is almost maniacally insistent; while Mavunduse's brief appearance speaks to youthful mischief. The writing is circular - the same arguments and position are stated and restated as if these phantasms are beseeching "Someone" through sheer force of will and repetition. 

In the end, I suspect I've been conned by the verbal equivalent of sleight of hand. The apple story is the most telling. Yes, in our grief we may summon a flurry of thoughts - "What if I..." or "If only I..." but the apple will never be an orange even if you forget what it looks like as cherished memories fade over time. The apparitions are more a fever dream of a woman in pain and sorrow.

Ultimately, on reflection, I appreciate the decision to tackle both these plays. There's no getting around it though - the writing is deliberately obtuse; the juxtaposition of styles and tone purposefully jarring. This isn't theatre for enjoyment as such. This is theatre for discussion and debate. 

I would recommend that if you go and see these plays which are well acted and well staged, have those discussions and debates afterwards; either in the lobby, in the carpark, the next day, whenever. You may find you are well rewarded for the effort. 

Two Plays by Caryl Churchill is on at the Main Hall, Melville Civic Centre until 1 March.

Photos by Curtain Call Creatives

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp - GRADS (13 December 2014)

Me? At a pantomime? A Christmas one no less? There’s a first for everything! I took a seat in my usual front row spot at Hackett Hall with much trepidation. What sort of impromptu audience participation was I signalling myself out for by sitting so close to the firing line? Thankfully, director Stephen Lee calmed my nerves with a pre-show assurance that no such shenanigans would be in order. Phew! I then settled in to watch a crazy show that was totally entertaining and a really fun (carpet-less) ride.

The first thing that struck me was that the tiered seating had been moved a long way forward from their usual spot. One common note at Dramafest was how far away the action was with such a deep stage. Here we were much closer and it was a really good choice. It was also great to see so many children in the audience and there was indeed a lot of group interaction with the usual boos as the villain appeared, a sing-along, and advice to our heroes.

The story itself? You know - Aladdin, a lamp, a beautiful princess, an evil Sorcerer, a Vogue-reading Genie, some Kung Fu fighting, lots of laundry, men in drag, women as men, Chinese-style Keystone Cops, and a propensity to break into song whenever a set change was required. Oh, and some self-inflicted cream pie in the face work. Your standard pantomime hijinks. It was lapped up by the enthusiastic audience – the show, not the cream pie – and everyone was having a really good time capped off by an elderly man with a white beard in a red jump suit gate-crashing the party.

To the performances!

Grant Malcolm was channelling some Jim-Broadbent-as-Ziegler type theatrics as the evil wizard Abanazar and was suitably over-the-top. He earned the hearty boos directed his way. Abanazar’s plans for world domination were somewhat altered on meeting the princess but who can blame him?

Jarrod Buttery made for a, ahem, handsome Widow Twankay and was thoroughly engaging in the role. Buttery used a droll sense of humour to great effect with plenty of asides to the audience, the slyer of which sailed over the head of the kids but were appreciated by the adults. I should also note that his beard nicely complimented the Widow’s various dresses!

It’s the first time I have seen Melissa Kiiveri on stage but she made for a radiant Aladdin in a spunky performance that was a real crowd pleaser. There was a cheekiness to her portrayal that I very much liked but, more impressively, a genuine tenderness in the romance with the Princess. 

That Princess  - Balroubadour – was played by Grace Edwards with naivety and innocence coupled with the odd regal temper tantrum. Edwards had the line of the night whilst wailing for her beloved Aladdin when she broke the fourth wall and bemoaned, “Three years at WAAPA, for this?!” Priceless.

Kate O’Sullivan gave a funky turn as the Genie of the Lamp with attitude to burn and a thick American accent that was a treat. Indeed, between O’Sullivan’s drawl, Lis Hoffman’s thick strine as So Shi, and Kiiveri’s pronounced English accent this was somewhat of a United Nations for the ear! I was bemused by the Deus Ex Genie to resolve a plot predicament (but really, who cared?) and O’Sullivan had a chance to shine with her rendition of Pharrell’s Happy which I believe is now mandatory for all new musicals, pantomimes, and cabarets to end with these days. Let It Go, people.

Of the secondary characters, fresh-faced James Parker played the straight man role of Aladdin’s brother Wishee Washee well. He had a good-natured vibe that worked very effectively. Hoffman, as mentioned, was the most unlikely of handmaidens bringing Ocker scepticism to her role and an unexpected development that I’m possibly still traumatised over! Judd Millner and Jennifer Van Den Hoek brought added comic relief as the Chinese policemen, Ping and Pong. Jonathan Beckett and Kerri Hilton rounded out the cast as The Grand Vizier and The Empress respectively. They amusingly had their own banter going on.

The ensemble was made up of a charming mix of young children and older performers who gave interesting interpretations of pop standards such as Kung Fu Fighting, Celebration and a re-imagining of Pinball Wizard (perhaps it’s just as well Pete Townshend is deaf!). The second act even commenced with a lovely ribbon dance performance by three members of the Chung Wah Dance Group.  

The highlight amongst all the madness though was an original song in the second act written by David Harries, Sarah Courtis and Arnold Wong called Forever and a Day that was beautifully performed by Edwards and Kiiveri. Finally, it was pleasing to see the cast come back out in costume to pose for pictures with the children. A nice touch.

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp is a colourful and funny show that is perfect entertainment for all the family in the lead up to Christmas. I not only went to a pantomime, I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Oh yes I did!!!

There are four more shows left at Hackett Hall in Floreat until 20 December.