Written by Ray Lawler
Directed by Karen
Vickery
Pigeonhole Theatre
Q Theatre, Queanbeyan
to 30 September
Reviewed by Len Power
20 September 2017
Ray Lawler’s 1955 play is a pivotal work in Australian
theatre. The naturalistic portrayal of recognizable
Australian characters and their lives was embraced by the first audiences in Melbourne
and the play has continued to charm and move playgoers ever since.
Set in 1953 in Melbourne in the home of barmaid, Olive, and
her mother, Emma, two Queensland cane cutters have been spending each season
layoff for the past 16 years having a fun and carefree holiday with Olive and
her friend, Nancy. Things have changed
as the men arrive for the 17th time.
Nancy has married and gone and new friend, Pearl, has moved in. Everyone tries to cling to the much-enjoyed
past, but tensions soon arise.
Karen Vickery’s production shows a deep understanding of
these characters and their hopes and dreams.
Her cast all look physically right and perform their roles with great
feeling and realism. It’s played at a
good pace and we’re quickly drawn into the story of these fascinating
characters.
Jordan Best gives a terrific performance as Olive,
displaying a touching vulnerability under her bustling no-nonsense exterior. Andrea Close deftly shows the two sides to
Pearl – the woman worried about appearances and the fun-loving character
underneath. Liz Bradley as Emma is a
sheer delight as this all-knowing and wise woman who has seen it all. As Bubba, the girl from next door who has
grown up and is now her own woman, Zoe Priest gives a strongly felt and
believable performance.
Craig Alexander as cane cutter, Roo, who has begun to doubt
himself and struggles to understand what is happening around him, plays all
facets of this character with great conviction.
Dene Kermond is very appealing as his mate, Barney, a man who tragically
doesn’t believe anything has to change.
Alex Hoskison gives a strong presence to the role of Johnnie.
Set design by Michael Sparks gives a nice flavour of a lower
class Melbourne home of the 1950s and there are fine period props by Imogen
Thomas. Clever lighting design by
Cynthia Jolley-Rogers, subtle sound effects by Matt Webster and period costumes
by Fiona Leach add much to the atmosphere of the production.
This is an important Australian play which has stood the
test of time. Karen Vickery has given it
an excellent production that is not to be missed.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7’s new ‘On Stage’ program on Mondays from
3.30pm and on ‘Artcetera’ from 9.00am on Saturdays.