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| Jarrad West |
Directed by Joel Horwood
ACT HUB Theatre, Kingston to August 25
Reviewed by Len Power 20 August 2024
In Duncan MacMillan’s play, a seven year old boy makes a
list of every brilliant thing in the world as a way of dealing with a suicidal
mother. The list grows and what had been a way of naively getting through the
day becomes, as the decades pass, a way of giving meaning to life through the
celebration of everyday things.
This one person play is edgy, surprising and also very funny as the performer takes us on the bumpy journey through his life and his lists. Relating incidents and characters in his life as he grows to adulthood, the audience is drawn deeply into the play.
In a theatre-in-the-round setting, audience members are greeted by a relaxed and engaging performer as they arrive. His informality is key to events as the play unfolds.
Jarrad West is outstanding as the performer. Whether looking back to his time as a seven year old, to his teenage years and then on to his adult years, he is completely convincing. It’s a performance on a knife-edge, relying throughout on audience responses. West never falters, bringing energy as well as a touching sensitivity to the role.
There is an excellent sound design by Nikki Fitzgerald of snippets from songs that have a meaning in the character’s life, adding a welcome sentimentality to the show. We empathise with the power of music on him.
Joel Horwood’s direction of the show is tight, busy and imaginative, giving West the opportunity to bring considerable depth, both verbally and non-verbally, to his role.
There is some audience participation in the play, but it’s so well-written and staged that it’s a plus and a highlight and no-one should find it threatening. In fact, as everyone becomes a part of this story, you’ll probably hope to be involved.
Photo by Jane Duong
This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 21 August 2024.
Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.
