Little Theatre, The Cloisters. University of Adelaide. 4 May 2013
Away, by Australian playwright Michael Gow, is the story of three families who are going away separately on their Christmas holidays, but are brought together by various events which force them to confront their inner demons and fears. In his programme notes director Aldo Longobardi informs us that Away “is one of the most studied plays in English and Drama curricula Australia-wide.” This is understandable because it addresses a veritable treasure trove of themes, including family ritual and conflict, Australia at war, grief at the loss of loved ones, materialism, adolescent sexuality, terminally ill youth, acceptance and letting go.
Gow bookends the play with Shakespearean extracts that are delivered in the context of school performances. Away begins with the closing scene of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and this establishes the use of ‘magical realism’ later in the play. It concludes with a drama lesson that focuses on one of King Lear’s soliloquies in which he indicates that he knows he is dying. Gow uses this as a gentle device to inform the audience of the passing of one of the central characters.
Yes, it is understandable that Away is ‘on the curriculum’, but turning the literature into a piece of theatre is an entirely different story.
Longobardi employs a minimalist approach to the staging of Away, but this is almost demanded because of the diverse settings (and the inherent challenges presented by the Little Theatre’s stage): a school, the separate homes of the three families, caravan parks, beaches. The set is dominated by a large rear-lit projection screen that is framed as if it were a painting. Not only do projections immediately suggest the setting of each scene, but are also cleverly used as a visual window into a world of human memories. Even more cleverly, members of the ensemble, who were mostly the fantastical fairies from the Midsummer Nights Dream extract, become human furniture and other items: a clothes rack, a mirror, a photograph. These devices are well rehearsed and add an element of humour, and the action of the play flows quickly and seamlessly from one scene to another. Richard Parkhill’s lighting mostly comprises gentle and atmospheric washes, and is unobtrusive, but might have been more dramatic and stark at times to underline the deep-felt emotions often being exhibited by the principal cast members and to draw even keener attention to Ryan Merrett’s evocative multimedia.
The standout performance was by Joshua Coldwell, who plays Roy, the stoic headmaster whose conscripted son died in the Vietnam War. Despite his comparative youth, Coldwell brought a certain maturity and experience to his performance. Roy’s grief was palpable, but it was never overly demonstrative. Sophia Dooley was careful to play his emotionally ravaged wife, Coral with not too much irrationality: the grip on her sanity was clearly tenuous. Longobardi’s touch was evident.
Alex Daly played Tom, the dying schoolboy, who never let on to his parents that he knew what was actually happening to him. His scene with fellow student Meg, played by Karen Burns, in which he suggests that he wants to do ‘it’ with her before it’s too late could have been overplayed and become self-pitying but wasn’t. Daly’s accent took time to adjust to, but Burns was often too softly spoken which reduced her impact except in those scenes where she openly challenged her parents.
Tom’s parents were played by Kirsty Haigh and James Sherwin. Haigh was engaging as she kept a watchful and concerned eye over Tom, but Sherwin was less successful and came across as almost aloof to the tragic circumstances of his son.
Ben Todd and Kelly Mildenhall played Meg’s parents: the dominated Jim and the constantly uptight, never happy and domineering Gwen. Todd is somewhat shorter than Mildenhall and he used this with comic effect to enhance his vulnerability within the marriage.
Danielle Macolino and Robert Bell rounded out the main cast as Leonie and Rick, individuals who are holidaying at the same camping destination as the others. Macolino was effective in snubbing the intense and unbalanced Coral, and Bell was totally believable and engaging as the thoughtful and personable young husband who saw the best in everyone. In his other role as the MC of the holiday camp talent show, Bell showed his versatility as an actor as he whipped up a storm as an over-the-top Elvis impersonator. The intimacy of the Little Theatre with its forced extreme proximity of audience and cast did however render his audience interaction a little awkward at times.
In all, this was a competent production of what is destined to become an Australian classic play, if it is not already. This reviewer felt the production needed more believable age differences in the casting but in the main the young cast were successful in exposing the play’s themes and leaving the audience with a number of things to think about and reflect upon. The near capacity opening night audience clearly enjoyed the production.
Kym Clayton
When: 4 to 18 May
Where: The Little Theatre
Bookings: trybooking.com
