Gobsmacked Theatre Company. White Queen. 12 Feb 2016
There in the White Queen are two female soldiers in desert cam fatigues, holed up in a bunker draped in sandy-coloured camouflage netting. It's quite a scene, made even more dramatic when, in a great whirring burst, sleety snow gusts out of a vent.
On a hot night on the Fringe, it’s surprising how the stuff lies about on the stage.
The incongruity of the snow is one of the things one contemplates when experiencing this offbeat theatre piece by Katy Warner.
It is like Waiting for Godot meets the War in Iraq.
The two soldiers are just passing the time, stranded somewhere, nowhere in a war zone That's all there is to do. Get on with the waiting. Talk the same talk. Play an imagination game - or not. Pretend they have some vodka. Argue about what's in the rubble. Reflect on the business of killing, on rotting flesh, the survival of a baby.
They are afraid, exhausted, fatalistic, perhaps losing the battle to stay sane. They are PTSD in the making.
Adelaide actors Suzannah Kennett Lister and Sarah Cullinan are directed by David McVicar in this tight little production. They establish character and sustain tension. Despite the heat in the White Queen, the play and the good performances take ownership of the audience.
It is a relevant, meaty, interesting think piece, a credit to the Fringe.
Samela Harris
When 12 to 25 Feb
Where: White Queen
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
