TRENT DALTON'S LOVE STORIES ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2025

 

Trent Dalton’s Love Stories Adapted for the stage by Tim McGarry

Additional writing and story by Trent Dalton and Fiona Franzmann. Directed by Sam Strong. Dunstan Playhouse. Adelaide Festival Centre. Adelaide Festival March 12 – 16  2025.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins 

Lovers of Trent Dalton’s book Love Stories will love this heartwarming, colourful and joyous production of his highly successful collection of people’s response to Dalton’s simple request, “Can you tell me a love story. There appears to be no stopping passers-by in the Brisbane CBD opening up their hearts to a man on the corner with the gift of an old Olivetti typewriter and a sincere desire to know what extraordinary stories of love are offered by ordinary people. 

The ensemble in Trent Dalton's Love Stories

 

As the audience enter the Dunstan Playhouse at Adelaide Festival Centre they see before them at the back of the stage a large mirror reflecting the people in the stalls of the theatre. On the mirror are projected a variety of responses to the question “What is love?” “Love is the hope that helps you when everything seems black.” “Love is your heart skipping a beat when a husband smiles and waves at you as you approach him” “Love is a fuzzy feeling.” Each member of the audience reflected in the mirror has a story to tell. As the song says everybody “wants somebody to love” There is the man who desperately perseveres in his attempt to propose until he is successful. A grandfather describes the love for a grandchild. Dalton’s own story is reflected in the woman who seeks to reunite with a heroin-addicted mother. In an hilarious demonstration of the pelvic hug, a group of men attempt to discover themselves and the meaning of love. Scientist John O’ Hagan explains the chemical reaction in the body when love takes hold. The stage burst into life with the tramp of busy feet to the beat of Jean Benoit's drum. There is always someone who will stop and tell their story. Or occasionally the voice of anger hurls an unhappy person’s abuse. The stories are deeply personal and the actors seize the moment with gusto or quiet contemplation.  A widow describes the grief at the loss of a loved one. As each story unfolds upon the stage, the joy, the pain and the longing for love are played out by a company who change characters with vigour and enthusiasm. They too have a story to tell.

Michala Banas and Jason Klarwein

Strong directs with flair and variety, moving the play along and varying the tempo for moments of revelation, a dance sequence in a riotous club or a gentle pas de deux to accompany a more sensitive moment. A videographer (Tneee Dyer) moves about the stage capturing the close-up and bringing the stage to life upon the screen at the rear. In an attempt to incorporate as many stories as possible the vignettes flash by. Those who are aware of the stories and Dalton’s work may find Trent Dalton’s Love Stories more engaging. The vignettes are snapshots of the human experience but they are brief and the play moves quickly on to the next episode. People who come to the theatre without prior knowledge of the stories may feel confused by moments that flash by. The adaptation does not have the opportunity to delve more deeply into the various moments. Josh Creemer’s account of stolen indigenous children warrants more than a three minutes grab. This is a heart wrenching story of stolen children and lost love and it is the lack of a more serious view of love that can diminish the power of story or comment to initiate change.

Rashidi Edward as Jean Benoit

 McGarry’s compact adaptation does acknowledge the sacrifices that a writer makes at the expense of personal relationship.. Dalton’s own story is given more insightful weight as the husband (Jason Klarwein) and his wife (Michala Banas) confront the impact of his obsession. Love’s pain and love’s pleasure are as much a part of the writer’s life as of his subjects’ experiences. Queensland Theatre Company’s uplifting production is a love lesson to all of the power of laughter and the healing power of tears. If you are unable to see the stage production of Trent Dalton\s book, the next best thing would be to read the book and delve further into the lives of real life characters and their quest for the true meaning of love.

 

 

 

 

Photos by Craig Wilkinson and Andrew Beveridge 

CREATIVES
Author  Trent Dalton
Adaptor Tim McGarry
Director/Dramaturg Sam Strong
Additional Writer Fiona Franzmann
Associate Director & Ensemble Member Ngoc Phan
Choreographer & Movement Director Nerida Matthaei
Composer & Sound Designer Stephen Francis
Lighting Designer Ben Hughes
Set & Costume Designer Renee Mulder
Video Design & Cinematographer Craig Wilkinson
Intimacy Coordination Nerida Matthaei and Michala Banas   

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Brisbane Festival Executive Producer Melinda Collie Holmes
QPAC Senior Producer Thomas Pritchard
QPAC Production Manager Jason Organ
Voice & Dialect Coach Gabrielle Rogers
Singing Coach  Megan Shorey
Costume Realiser Kasey Turner
Video Design Assistant Lani Dwyer
Lighting Programmer Tom Broadhurst 

 

CREW
Tour Producer Natasha Phillips
Company Production Manager Pip Loth
Stage Manager Lucy Kelland
Assistant Stage Manager Briana Clark
Sound Operator Israel Leslie
Video Systems Technician Joshua Braithwaite       

CAST
Jean-Benoit Rashidi Edward
Husband Jason Klarwein
Wife Michala Banas
Ensemble Patrick Jhanur
Ensemble Angie Milliken
Ensemble Kirk Page
Ensemble Bryan Probets
Ensemble Jacob Watton
Ensemble Hsin-Ju Ely
Camera Operator Tnee Dyer

  Production shots David Kelly