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| Daniel R. Nixon as "DRIZZLE BOY" |
DRIZZLE BOY – Queensland Theatre
Written by Ryan Ennis – Directed by Daniel Evans
Set and Costume Design by Christina Smith – Associate Designer:
Madeleine Barlow
Composer and Sound Designer: Guy Webster – Video Designer: Nevin
Howell
Lighting Designer: Matt Scott – Lighting Associate: Christine
Felmingham
Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse: November 13th to
16th 2024.
Opening Night Performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
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| Daniel R Nixon (Drizzle Boy) - Anthony Gooley (Father) - Judy Hainsworth (Juliet) in "DRIZZLE BOY" |
Drizzle Boy, as he is known to his family and friends, is an
autistic young man who is beginning university study in the hope of one day
becoming an astronaut. He’s desperate to assert his independence as he embarks
on his journey into adulthood.
Playwright Ryan Ennis has based his character for his
2022-2023 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award-winning play, on his own experiences
as a neurodivergent person. It is directed by Daniel Evans who is neurodivergent,
with neurodivergent actor Daniel R Nixon, quite brilliant as Drizzle Boy.
Throughout the play we experience the world through the eyes
of Drizzle Boy, aided by a remarkable set design by Christina Smith, which on
entering the theatre, appears to be a raised circular blue stage set in the
vastness of a normally unseen backstage environment.
As the play progresses, through the inventive lighting by
Matt Scott and video projections by Neville Howell, the stage, replete with myriad
drawers and trapdoors. gradually morphs into a succession of unlikely spaces
that make up Drizzle Boys’ world, including a lecture theatre, his mum’s kitchen,
a park, the inside of a spaceship, until finally, a starry planetarium.
Throughout the play all the relevant people in Drizzle Boy’s
life are performed by just two actors, who, with the help of clever costuming, populate
his world.
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| Judy Hainsworth (Juliet) - Daniel R Nixon (Drizzle Boy) in "DRIZZLE BOY" |
Expertly manipulating a series of lightning-fast costume changes, Judy Hainsworth, seen earlier this year in Canberra in Shake & Stir’s production of Fourteen, plays, among others, Drizzle Boy’s girlfriend, Juliet; his idol Russian astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova; Dustin Hoffman; and most importantly, his mother; who’s driven to distraction by Drizzle Boy’s inability to express his feeling and his rejection of her help as he fights for his independence.
Similarly, Anthony Gooley undertakes a number of roles
including a monstrous Baphomet who haunts him; Hans Asperger; and his loving
father, desperate to connect with a son who is unable to tolerate his efforts to
establish father/son intimacy.
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| Daniel R Nixon (Drizzle Boy) - Anthony Gooley (Hans Asperger) in "DRIZZLE BOY". |
Throughout all this, Daniel R. Nixon, who never leaves the
stage, offers a tour de force performance with his creation of a lovable
character who while seeking acceptance from those around him is determined to
live his life his own way while marching to a different drum.
DRIZZLE BOY is one of those rare productions which surprises
from beginning to end. Not only does it delight as an entertainment, it also performs
a valuable service by shining a light subtly subverting our preconceptions
about those born to live life differently.
Photos by Morgan Roberts
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au