Written by Katy
Warner
Directed by Sharon
Davis
A Lab Kelpie
production
The Q Theatre,
Queanbeyan to 21 September
Reviewed by Len Power
19 September 2019
In ‘Spencer’, two grownup children, Ben and Jules, have
returned to the family home after relationship breakups. Still at home is Scott, a talented young
footballer, and their long-suffering mother, Marilyn, whose husband left her many
years ago. Ben, an ex-footballer, is
loud and uncouth and needs to grow up. His
sister, Jules, while dealing with her own problems, finds herself in the
referee role between the brothers and their mum much of the time.
A troubled Scott is nervously preparing for a visit by a
woman he can’t remember who appears to have had his baby, Spencer, two years
ago. Everyone is tripping over each
other in this crowded household as the time for this visit approaches. Matters get worse when their long-estranged
father, Ian, also turns up and Scott has another revelation for the family to
deal with as well.
There are good performances by the cast in this show. They embrace their characters whole-heartedly
and with considerable depth. Jane
Clifton as the mother, Marilyn, is particularly impressive displaying a harsh
exterior that masks the love for her family in spite of their faults. Lyall Brooks gives a well-rounded and courageously
repellant performance as the boofy son, Ben, and Jamieson Caldwell plays his
character, Scott, with a fine sensitivity that is very appealing. Fiona Harris is very real as the flawed sister
with an inner strength and Roger Oakley is amusing as the weak and ineffectual father,
Ian.
The show has been directed by Sharon Davis at a furious pace
with a strong focus on depth of character.
The cast play the often overlapping dialogue with great realism.
Lab Kelpie is a not-for-profit Australian new writing theatre
company dedicated to the production of new work by Australian playwrights. Katy Warner, the playwright of ‘Spencer’
shows great promise as a writer, particularly with the development of recognizable
characters in her play. There is a
tendency to overwrite which slows the action down a bit and, while the swearing
might be realistic, hearing the same word constantly just gets very wearing
after a while. Scott’s other revelation
comes a bit late in the play and seems almost superfluous.
How you respond to ‘Spencer’ will depend a lot on your own
family experience in Australia. For some
people this play will be an accurate and enjoyable depiction of recognizable
characters but for others it could prove to be an uncomfortable step back into
the past.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.
