Written by
Nakkiah Lui
Directed by Paige Rattray
Designed by Renee Mulder
Lighting
designed by Ben Hughes
Music composition and sound design by Steve Toulmin
Presented by
The Sydney Theatre Companythe Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre
Performance
on March 31st 2018 reviewed by Bill Stephens
What a
delightful breath of fresh air is playwright, Nakkiah Lui. Her writing is
witty, perceptive, informative and deliciously entertaining; her characters, believable,
charming and very funny.
In “Black is the New White” she addresses
complex issues of race, class and identity by focussing on two middle-class
Australian families, one of which, the Gibsons, is aboriginal.
Charlotte
Gibson (Shari Sebbens) is an aboriginal lawyer. Her father, Ray, (Tony Briggs) was
a prominent politician, who has now retired, together with his wife Joan
(Melodie Reynolds-Diarra) to a comfortably upper-middle-class life. Their other
daughter, Rose(Nakkiah Lui), is a successful fashion designer with her own
brand, and is married to former footballer,
now banker, Sonny Jones (Anthony Taufa).
Francis
Smith (Tom Stokes) is Charlotte Gibson’s fiancĂ© and is an experimental
classical composer. His father Dennison (Geoff Morrell) was a prominent
conservative politician, now retired, together with his wife, Marie (Vanessa
Downing), to a comfortably upper-middle-class life.
When
Charlotte Gibson invites the Smiths to spend Christmas with her family at their
holiday home as an opportunity to announce her engagement to Francis, the scene
is set for a succession of explosive situations.
Paige
Rattray’s direction is deft and insightful and her casting is spot-on. She takes full advantage of Renee Mulder’s
opulent setting to keep the tightly focussed action moving at a cracking pace,
whether highlighting quiet moments of intimacy, or in the glorious slapstick
nude scene, when Francis grabs a family photo off the wall to hide his
embarrassment, or the uproarious food fight which involves the full cast.
Canberra
audiences where fortunate to see the original cast in this touring revival,
excepting for the role of the younger sister, Rose Gibson, now performed by the
author herself, Nakkiah Lui, who was quite delightful as the young wife who
took rather a long time to work out that her ex-footballer husband (charmingly
portrayed by Anthony Taufa) was actually Tongan. Shari Sebbens and Tom Ford bought warmth,
hilarity and conviction to their roles as Charlotte and her intended fiancé,
Francis, the young couple whose impending engagement is the catalyst for much
discussion.
Equally
pitch-perfect are Tony Briggs and Melodie Reynolds-Diarra, as the Gibsons, and
Vanessa Downing and Geoff Morrell, as the Smiths, while Luke Carroll almost
steals the show bringing easy-going panache to his role as the charming,
ever-present narrator who links the dots by providing explanations and excuses
throughout the play.
Undeniably enjoyable
and diverting, the play felt a little too long, and while the issues it raises
are pertinent, there are perhaps too many of them to comfortably digest in one
sitting. Nevertheless, “Black is the New White” is an impressive and important
new play from a talented new emerging playwright with some interesting things
to say. It has certainly whetted the appetite for seeing more of her work in
the not too distant future.
This review also appear in Australian Arts Review. www.artreview.com.au