In A Bony Embrace - Curtin's Performance Studies & Hayman Theatre Company (8 December 2015)

April is breaking up with Sam over breakfast because she simply doesn’t find him funny anymore. Sam doesn’t find this especially funny either as they work in the same office. An office where Harry (presumably short for Harriet) and Danny decide to spontaneously be in love. Except Harry is somewhat more intense about this development than one might expect. An office where Matt is interested in April but isn’t particularly well versed in relationships despite the example of his annoyingly in love housemates, Lila and Gavin. 

Then again, Lila and Gavin’s relationship is headed for prickly territory as a cactus called Calamity comes between them, literally and alliteratively. Meanwhile April is keen to “get back on the horse” despite the reservations of practical colleague Sylvia. Her date with Jaxon, a slick dude who isn’t exactly lacking in confidence, ends in disaster. All the while ‘Jimmy’ and ‘Sally’ pontificate about the universe, love, and death.    

If this sounds like the premise for a sitcom you would be absolutely right. These characters, some more grounded than others, intersect and collide in various ways in familiar settings – the office, the shared house, the club. It is very funny, sharply observed, with some bizarre tangents that fit the sitcom format perfectly. The set is predominantly bright pink but full of bold colours that reminded me of the Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger movie Down With Love, itself a homage to the ‘sex comedies’ of the 60s.

The script by Gita Bezard is excellent with several sly writer gags (always guaranteed to hook me), cracking dialogue, and interesting takes on familiar devices – a Greek Chorus that narrates actions that a character isn’t undertaking which is a refreshing change; the ten self-aware characters periodically commenting on the emotional state of their collective while jostling for attention in line; and the one actor (Jessica Nyanda Moyle) playing both parts of the Jimmy/Sally tandem while enigmatically clutching an empty glass jar. I took this variously to represent the universe at one point but also the intangible nature of their love.

The play fairly rattles along with slick direction by Adam Mitchell as he keeps the actors hovering in the wings when not featured in what really is a series vignettes that all weave together. The transitions are like cuts to a new scene as actors rotate into the next sequence effortlessly. The sitcom analogy is an apt one in construction, direction, and pacing. One of the actors even offered afterwards that he was channeling a famous sitcom character for aspects of his role.

Which brings us to the ten actors from Curtin University’s Performance Studies. With such good writing and direction their characters were all distinctively drawn and they brought them to life with impressive craft and great comic timing.

Chelsea Gibson is the confident April who dismisses Sam at the start of the play and who carries the main narrative thread. Gibson gives April a sense of self-worth and purpose even when faced with the obnoxiously ‘superior’ Jaxon, played by Sean Guastavino with cringe worthy precision that was funny and infuriating. She also has the key monologue towards the end of the play that reveals the meaning of the title and shows a tender vulnerability that was compelling.

Alexander Gerrans imbues the dumbstruck Sam with recognisable and escalating fury as he tries to comprehend his girlfriend’s decision to dump him. There is a simmering energy to his performance as the anger unfurls only to be casually batted away by April’s indifference. 

Beth Tremlett and Nathan Whitebrook move from clingy couple to something altogether more interesting as the cactus subplot spins them off into strange territory indeed. Whitebrook’s Gavin has a disturbing infatuation with Calamity that he expresses with serene contentment, genuine concern, and irrational outbursts. This only fuels Tremlett’s Britney Spears loving Lila’s incredulity and refusal to change her ways for a plant. They bounce off each other well and the whole thing spirals out of control as relationships can do over the most ridiculous of things.

Anna Lindstedt is the straight to the point Sylvia who plays the office confidant with no nonsense practicality. Daisy Coyle and Tristan McInnes make a dynamic couple in the throes of first love. Coyle allows Harry to unravel in spectacular fashion ending in a triumphantly over-the-top announcement to colleagues at the bar. McInnes deftly exhibits increasing levels of bemusement over Harry’s antics (as if to say 'she’s craaaaazy!') while still committed to the thought of Danny being in love with her. There was a restraint here that was fascinating.

Jessica Nyanda Moyle’s character is the one that sits outside the main story and whose function seemed more to serve a thematic purpose than narrative one. She manages to express both poignancy and humour while inhabiting dual roles with subtle voice and facial changes.

Then there’s Kane Parker as Matt who is the other half of the equation in the main story thread. His character is treated as a bit of a loser but Parker shows him more as someone lacking in confidence and self-esteem who is merely trying to make a connection. His work with Gibson at the end is a quiet highlight amongst the craziness.   

Love, loneliness and connection are certainly foremost in the minds of all these characters regardless of how bizarre some sequences may be; the cactus as surrogate child one of many subversions of usual expectations. The bold set design and lighting was very good in the intimate space and I very much liked the subtle sound design as well.

This was a very well written, acted, directed and presented play with plenty of laughs befitting its sitcom DNA. I have seen plays before that didn’t seem to realise they were actually a sitcom and therefore failed but In A Bony Embrace knows exactly what it is and is expertly executed. It is a late year surprise and definite highlight to cap off Curtin’s 2015.  It is on at The Blue Room until 12 December.

City - Curtin's Performance Studies & Hayman Theatre Company (4 August 2015)

Curtin University has been enlisting some very interesting talent to work with their students lately to create original pieces of theatre  - Jeffrey Jay Fowler (director - Escape Goat Utopia), Steve McCall (playwright - Teeth 2 Tail) and now director Joe Lui's City, devised by an ensemble including the cast, set designer and stage manager. Lui is a well-known fixture at The Blue Room and certainly brings great craft and skill to this production and there is much to like about the results.

Foremost among these is a wonderful set that is both highly stylised and extremely functional. Presented in stark white with black trim, everything from a laundromat to toilet cubicles to a train and even an adult store is inventively recreated with great economy. Highly regarded for his lighting designs which are on full display here as well, this is a visually arresting show.

The basic premise is that no one is alone (truly) in a big city and there are all kinds of hidden connections that each of us experience in a day. The cleverness of the set design is that it accentuates that thematic premise as we slide from one scenario to another with ease. The acting is good across the board and there is great use of sly humour throughout which made this very entertaining.

However, I wasn't as convinced about the story elements.

We start on a night time train where we witness the adverse reaction of a young businesswoman (Amy Tamati) to two men kissing. Things quickly get out of hand as other passengers are drawn into the altercation. This is all being narrated by the 8 year old "Ant-girl" (Rhiannon Petersen) who is looking for her mummy. Then, in a structure more reminiscent of fractured timeline narrative movies (think Fight Club for example), the action is paused and we go back to the start of the day to see how these people came to be at this place at this time and act the way they are doing.

We are introduced to a married couple (Jarryd Dobson & Daisy Coyle) whose relationship has grown stale as they argue about putting out the bins on that morning's train. There is a charismatic conman cum petty thief (Jeremy Bunny) who tries to sell items he has stolen off others; a young woman (Madeleine Mullins) whose bag he will steal leaving her stranded until her older brother (George Ashforth) arrives. That brother delivers a package (with a healthy Pulp Fiction glow when opened) to an adult store owner (Terence Smith) who is nervous about a first date he has that night with another man. There is a jilted bride still in her wedding dress (Ashleigh Ryan) and, of course, the businesswoman. They then collide in different ways ultimately leading to the events which will occur on that evening's train. All the while Ant-girl floats through proceedings as only an innocent child can whilst imparting philosophical musings on events (as an innocent child generally can't).

The use of the ant colony analogy is far too blatant and overdone and becomes a little grating after a while. The 'child looking for her mummy' device is really only there to allow for an impartial observer. Though in one of the play's more touching moments Ant-girl does have a genuine interaction with the bride who she mistakes for a princess. I say genuine because a lot of the pairings and connections often felt contrived - characters were forced together to serve the theme and plot.

Characterisations therefore felt inconsistent, for example the adult store owner who is grumpy in one scene then unexpectedly compassionate (to the wife in a showpiece scene for Coyle) in another with no real reason for being so. The petty thief also feels like a completely different character in the evening train scene(s) compared to what we have seen earlier. Even within scenes there were beats where it felt like an action change had been called for to alter the dynamic but without necessarily a logical progression to justify that change in action ie be angry now or aggressive. Some of this therefore simply didn't feel organic. That is perhaps as a result of the devising process itself.

Ultimately when we finally revisit the first scene of the play it is replayed verbatim with no additional information added - unlike a movie that uses this structure to then generally add a twist leading into a climax there is nothing new here. Other than Ant-girl's observations which have already been well established. Also, tellingly for me, not all the characters we have seen are even involved in this moment so the prior interconnections have selective intent (most notably between the husband and the thief even though it is an entertaining strand).

Having said that there are some standout performances - Bunny is an interesting mix of charm and insecurity as the thief while Ashforth plays the bloke who has tickets on himself to amusing effect. I liked Petersen's Ant-girl and she is engaging in a tricky role as 8 year old philosopher-narrator.

While I have reservations about the overall story this is entertaining, well acted, beautifully staged and has genuinely funny moments. Directed by Joe Lui and devised by Joe Lui, the cast and some crew, City stars George Ashforth, Jeremy Bunny, Daisy Coyle, Jarryd Dobson, Madeleine Mullins, Rhiannon Petersen, Ashleigh Ryan, Terence Smith and Amy Tamati and is on at the Hayman Theatre Upstairs until 8 August.

Teeth 2 Tail - Curtin's Performance Studies & Hayman Theatre Company (9 December 2014)

A story is told in the early going of this play written by Steve McCall that is delivered with such frenetic energy and charm that I was so caught up in the sheer entertainment of it all that I nearly missed that it was the key thematic blueprint for everything that was about to unfold. It was unusual insomuch as it served as an introduction to the character Harry played by Kane Parker and you normally wouldn’t expect such thematic heft in an opening salvo. Very nicely written and performed, Messrs’ McCall and Parker.

That story was a tale about the goings on at a watering hole in Kruger National Park where a herd of buffalo are surprised by a pride of lions and even a crocodile while tourists look on shocked. Remarkably, even though a ‘baby’ buffalo is snatched in all the chaos by a croc, the herd regroup and fight back…

In many ways the set is its own ‘watering hole’ where a series of characters in a strictly observed hierarchy interact and clash. Two sides fronting the audience are chain link fencing topped with barb wire; another side is the wall of the theatre with a platform where characters lurk and observe atop and under; the final side having the exits that are disguised by an arch like construction. It is wonderfully enclosed and cramped with holes in the fencing allowing characters, on occasion, to literally prowl right in front of the audience. The small performance space contains a couple of school desks, a drum, and a fridge built into a section of the arch, and adds enormously to the tone of the piece. It’s tight and grimy and you’re sitting up close and personal to the action. The actors, eleven in all, manoeuvre expertly through the set.

This story has its own animals both predatory and meek, set in a high school where Eva (Eloise Carter) is fascinated by her now deceased grandfather’s war service at Kokoda and her older brother Clint’s (Ryan Hunt) current participation in the armed forces overseas. She also wants to serve her country but is bullied by fellow students Cate (Gemma Middleton) and Sophie (Zoe Street) for being studious and, well, smart. Eva’s older sister Matilda (Violette  Ayad) is pregnant to resident drug dealer and punk ‘Turk’ (Sean Guastavino) while their mother Trish (Ashleigh Morris) likes her wine and the company of, allegedly, a series of men.

Added to this combustible mix is the school teacher Ms Carlton (Amelia Tuttleby) who tries to help Eva but is largely ineffectual in the face of particularly Cate’s defiance; the tough minded and sexually adventurous Paige (Holly Dodd); the sweet newcomer Lucy (Amy Johnston) who attempts to befriend Eva; and finally the naïve Harry (Parker) who will become an unwitting accomplice as Eva ‘regroups and fights back’ with tragic consequences.

In many ways this reminded me of the play Punk Rock but with a totally recognisable Australian voice. Yes, things escalate out of control and Eva proves to be an increasingly fierce adversary as she stands up to those who wrong her. Eloise Carter gives a tremendous performance as she moves from passive nerd to a far more calculating and ruthless presence. I almost passed straight by her after the show not recognising who she was and Carter admitted, tellingly, that she looked far less ‘psychotic’.

There are inserts throughout the play where Eva seemingly re-enacts with the cast events from her grandfather’s time at war with the Japanese. These seemed to me though, to be signposts of a sense of, perhaps not delusion, but certainly a lack of understanding of what war truly is. A point hammered home when her brother Clint returns from overseas and tells her a story about what warfare in places in Afghanistan is really like. That he is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome is a lovely juxtaposition to his sister’s state of mind as they both deal with the ramifications of her actions.

Excellent performances abound and there is a richness to each character in both how they are drawn and presented. Guastavino is a wonderfully physical and menacing presence as Turk and his callous treatment of Eva’s sister is in many ways the catalyst for the escalation in events that spiral out of control. Parker’s Harry is thoroughly sympathetic as he is drawn into something out of his ability to comprehend. Middleton proves to be a fiery antagonist but even her Cate is ranked below Dodd’s Paige who is perhaps the “alpha female” to Turk’s alpha male. Dodd ratchets up the wattage as she confronts Eva head on over Turk. 

Johnston’s turn as Lucy adds an element of genuine warmth and sweetness and her later scenes with Carter are particularly well handled. I also really liked Morris’ performance as the almost absent mother who really has no idea of what her youngest daughter is capable of. Hunt’s involvement as the brother whose return will make everything right is telling and he gives a sober rendering of a man with competing duties to family and country. Guilt is also rife throughout and how different characters deal with this is critical.

This is a thought provoking and thematically dense play with excellent writing and wonderful performances by all the cast. Mark Storen’s direction within the deliberately cribbed space is very good as characters rotate into their scenes then return to what felt at times to be silent observers in the background, like watchful eyes around a watering hole as the animals slowly tear each other apart...

Teeth 2 Tail has three more shows on at The Blue Room, finishing on Saturday 13 December and is highly recommended.