Directed by Shelly Higgs. Music director Jay Cameron. Scenic and lighting design Veronique Benett. Costume design Leah Ridley. Production management. Neil Simpson and Caroline Stacey OAM. Cast: Craig Alexander. Louise Bennet. Sally Marett. Callum Doherty. Jay Cameron on pianoThe Street. World Premiere Season. September 19-21 2025. Performed on NGUNNAWAL AND NGAMBRI COUNTRY Bookings:
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Craig Alexander as Henry "Clocker" Bell. Callum Doherty as Tom Bell in The Story of the Oars Photo by Nathan Smith Photography |
In the dim light composer Jay Cameron flings sheets of music to the floor. There is the sound of heavy clunking as bit by bit Cameron dismantles the outer surface of the piano to reveal the hidden workings behind the veneer. It could well be a metaphor for Nigel Featherstone’s World Premiere of The Story of the Oars, playing for a very short season at The Street. Cameron’s percussive manipulation of hammers, keyboard and strings evokes an eerie tone of mystery and foreboding. A secret is about to be uttered. A truth will be revealed. The effect is visceral, compelling in its unease. Veronique Benett’s lighting creates shafts of sharp lighting across the stage. A single spot reveals two figures standing at the edge of the lake. Henry “Clocker” Bell (Craig Alexander) looks out across the dry bed of the lake. His son Tom (Callum Doherty), a keen photographer is eager to stop to take photos on their trip to Canberra. Henry is ill at ease, anxious to move on, unsettled by the place, the moment and a haunting memory. Discordant punctuations of wire and wood heighten the uneasy atmosphere. There is a tension between father and son, a struggle to assert independent thought and understand an unspoken discomfort.
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| Louise Bennet as Gail Goodchild in The Story of the Oars Photo by Canberra Streets |
It is only when Featherstone unlocks the secret in the meeting between Henry and Gail Goodchild (Louise Bennet) and Pierra Caproni (Sally Marett) who live at the lake that we learn the truth of the tragedy that happened in the past, a truth that that would create both painful consequence for Henry and Tom and ther promise of healing for Henry, Gail and Pierra. The fury and torment of Cameron’s mechanical accompaniment can assume a more musical harmony as the keyboard replaces the pounding rhythms of the timber and the strings. Cameron’s composition is the pulse that creates the shifting flow of our emotions. It is the spirit of the wild wind that feeds Gail Goodchild’s soul upon the lake, It is the water that envelops and cleanses Pierra Caproni with its healing power In Featherstone’s intriguing new work. It is the Lake that has the power to conceal and reveal. It is the lake that is the spirit of change. It embodies the complex character of the human condition.
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| Louise Bennet (Gail Goodchild) Sally Marett (Pierra Caproni) in Nigel Featherstone's The Story of the Oars Photo by Canberra Streets |
Language seizes the heart and the mind in this bold new work. It is poetic, it is hypnotic, at time sensitive , emphatic and musical. In Goodchild’s cry to the wind or Caproni’s supplication to the water; to Henry’s agonized admission or Tom’s assertion of the politics of independence and liberation. The Story of the Oars demands attention, engagement of the intellect and freedom of the emotion. In a world that pays too little heed to the truth, it is a warning of the damage of consequence for those who would conceal the truth, whether that be for personal, political, economic or social gain.
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| Callum Doherty (Tom Bell) and Jay Cameron on piano Photo by Canberra Streets |
The Street has once again upheld its fine reputation of producing new work of the highest professional standard. Featherstone’s writing is original and unique. His command of the lyrical nature of his prose combines the beauty of language with the imagination to conceive a fascinating and engaging narrative. His characters are real, their situation unusual and the levels of their interaction deceptively complex . Director Shelly Higgs and composer Cameron maintain the suspense as the outstanding cast creates totally believable and convincing portrayals of four characters caught up in the search for the truth.
It is unfortunate that such
unique work should be limited by the available funding and resources to ensure
a longer season. It is a predicament
that too often faces companies dedicated to the creation of new and important
works. The Story of the Oars is a
case in point. It is to be hoped that it may be revived at some point so that
larger audiences may have the opportunity to witness the development and
production of the finest premieres in the country. If you read this before the 21st then
make sure that you grab a ticket to this daring and evocative new work, part
mystery, part thriller and entirely entertaining.
