Oide
Written and Performed by Emrys Quin
Directed by Emily Farrell
“ODIE: A one-man black comedy epic for the discerning modern hooligan.
In this ‘high language, low brow’ surrealist adaptation of the Odyssey, Odie is a Queensland State of Origin hooligan stranded in Sydney at 1AM after all the trains have stopped.
Surrounded by a hostile cityscape, Odie must resist the siren calls of the pokies, charm 10ft tall sports-commentating sea monsters, and make his way back to his missus, Penny, at the Ithaca Suites.
ODIE is a vigorous, incisive, and hilarious examination of modern Australian identity, masculinity, vice, and mateship; a cultural lampooning for the discerning modern hooligan.”
I think trying to compare this to Homer is a massive stretch. Perhaps this is to do the “journey” that the main character goes on in this spoken word, monologue, one person play.
I really have to applaud the high energy level from the performance of Emrys Quin. This performance starts at 100 and stays there for the entire 55 minutes. When he was able to break character at the bows, at the end, you could see how exhausted they were, having put so much into the performance. This is obviously a subject that the writer/performer is extremely passionate about and the level of dedication and focus is to be honoured.
All that being said, this was not a show for me. Sport being the focus of the piece really turned me off. This play made me dislike sport even more so. There are still many good things about this production.
The number of rhyming couplets in simple form, compound and complex forms is absolutely astounding as a piece of written work. The darker themes about all forms of addition really brought a lot of gravitas to work and was weirdly the saving grace of chaos that was being hit at every corner.
I think the space is terrible for a performance like this. The Boom Boom room is essentially a converted office space, with a stage that looks like it would fall apart at any second, an extremely dirty, black curtain behind it, little to no proper stage lighting and no sound proofing, so that you hear everything happening from the other rooms of the other performances, that are happening at the same time. Plus, uncomfortable seating that makes you want to leave after 20 minutes. Some huge improvements could be made by Sydney Fringe Festival for this space in the future.
If you love sport and relentless high energy, this is the show for you.
As we go back to the 1990s, two women visit a library. In the classic Alan Bennett manner of talking, analysing, observing lives that are more than they appear, they lure the audience in with what at first appears to be a nice, friendly middle-class chat. Performed in an actual library and with carefully chosen books on display the atmosphere is one of gentility about to be imploded, as sex is discussed, in the nicest possible way.
The first monologue is ‘Nights in the Gardens of Spain’. Rosemary who is obviously married to a condescending husband is passing by a neighbour’s house, and before she can stop herself, she becomes involved with the neighbour’s life and a murder. As the incident evolves, she questions her own long-term suburban marriage and decides that it is as beige as the cardigan she is wearing.
Fiona Gordon plays Rosemary so convincingly that when she wanders into the library, the audience could be forgiven thinking she was part of their group. Her mild mannered perusal of gardening books, her passion, perfectly establishes a gentle conversation as her she discusses her friendship with her neighbour revealing her own need for independence. As she comes and goes discussing the next stage of the situation, uncomfortable observations of her relationship are revealed.
The second story, ‘Her Big Chance’, follows Travis, an overly optimistic and naive actress who believes through her own skills she has been offered a leading role in an arty German movie. Her genuine belief in her being considered as a professional actress is astoundingly naive when being told at each step to cross another boundary that the audience can see is leading to exploitation. At times, we wanted to stop her or at least warn her as she agrees to each request starting with taking her top off.
Sophie Dillman as Travis, wanders in to the library choosing books about how to get on with people and is absolutely convincing as a silly young woman who is wandering in to saying yes when she should say no. Her acting life hasn’t quite turned out as expected and she is just certain that she will get her next break in a major role but her actions lead to a darker side of movie life. At times we laughed with her observations but at other times, we squirmed when she made foolish decisions.
Each actor delivers aspects of their story and takes turns to return for the next part. A clever direction by Diana Volpe with the actors leaving and returning means the audience guesses at the turn of events. Accompanied by the gentle and beautiful music at intervals by Michael Atherton, the audience almost walked in the shoes of both characters. As Travis states,”Acting is really just giving”.
When we think back in history to musicians who have had a profound influence in their industry, and an even greater effect on people who love them, there are a handful of people. George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were The Beatles, and at the height of their career in the mid to late 1960’s, they caused what was coined, “Beatlemania”.
It is during this time when “All Things Must Pass”, a play performed by the Lane Cove Theatre Company, focuses on. Written by David Potter and directed by Luke Derrick, this play takes its name as a nod to one of the solo albums released by George Harrison in 1970. This title makes sense on two fronts. One reason being that the play, although featuring all four Beatles, does have a steady focus on George (Matt Clayton). The other reason I think the title suits, was a bit of a play on words. Following John Lennon’s death, the play examined the aftermath of a friend’s murder, and the grief of the remaining members. Towards the end, George mused, “Life doesn’t conclude, it just stops. What does it mean to us?” thinking that everyone passes and “death is taking off your suit”, so life is one thing that simply passes.
The play opens with George in his living room, silent and upset. It has only been a short while since John Lennon was shot. Ringo, (Blake Nicholas), comes to visit and we quickly see the dynamics of these two friends. Nicholas plays Ringo with natural charm, showing his character’s optimism as his tries to gently cheer up his friend. Paul (Rachel Benedict) arrives and soon they are visited by the memory of John (Clayton Moss).
They are soon transported in time back to the 1960’s where all four band members are being interviewed and filmed – bantering on the couch. All four are sitting in a row, squeezed together and completely at ease with each other and with the media. I would say that this scene represented that it was as good as it would get between the band members, and relationships appeared to fracture after this point.
“All Things Must Pass” takes a deeper look into the strained relationships between the four, most notably between Paul and George. It appeared that Benedict’s character Paul was mostly terse and unhappily snarky throughout the entire play, and it may have been purposeful, although this did make him unlikeable. One of his quotes showed arrogance – he snaps at George, “I was the one who made you!” after George brings up that he was unhappy that Paul was suing him. Paul completely refuses to take responsibility for the legal action, blaming his lawyer.
Ringo remained level headed and patient, even playing chess with himself (three games!) as Paul and George recorded in the Abbey Road studios. Nicholas did a great job of portraying Ringo and his laid back character. John, re-joining the three at different times to show the audience what life was like back before he died, appeared later on to take himself away on “trips” (of the pharmaceutical non-legal kind).
Brian Epstein (Nat Jenson) was The Beatles manger and whenever he came onto the stage, he did so in a whirlwind of exuberance, if not a bit over the top. He guided their career and was said to have made their commercial success by putting them into matching suits, securing their record contract and guiding them.
The time periods skipped back and forth throughout the 1960’s and upward, with the intended date projected onto the screen behind the actors. The set was very simple, with a minimalistic look. The screen showed black and white sketches of where they were, sometimes in George’s living room, other tines in the Abbey Road Studio or on a rooftop in London. Costumes were also streamlined. The characters wore suits, with no change of costume.
Matt Clayton was a standout in this play. His Liverpool accent never dropped and his portrayal of George Harrison kept the audience riveted. I was impressed by the monologues that George said, which often gave us an insight into his mental health. His way of coping with life after John died was to become immersed in spirituality. In one scene, he was meditating, repeating the “Hare Krishna” mantra over and over, all the while being drowned out by the increasing volume of noise and chaos of the outside world. In this intense scene, it seemed to be a catalyst for the other times where it was mentioned that the screaming and attention of fans were unwelcome. It culminated in George shouting, “Leave me alone with my thoughts! Just let me die!”
Sara Vencalkova and Anastasia Vokhmyakova completed the cast, playing different roles; the reporters, photographers and other characters which added to this story. This is an original play about another side of The Beatles, about being famous, and mostly about friendship, life and grief.
“All Things Must Pass” is in partnership with The Fringe Festival and is on from 10 -13 September 2026 at Pottery Lane Performance Space.
Time: Approximately 100 minutes with a 15 minute interval.
Welcome to a new short and sharp Australian musical and get your tickets to support a world premiere! Seven strangers catch the train, each deep in their own worlds and worries until one passenger innocently breaks through the social barriers. They are told to board and leave emotional baggage behind but that is impossible.
Kudos to Producer and Playwright, Anna Notley and Musical Director, Composer and Pianist, Analise Wren (accompanied by guitarist, Abby McKimmie), for presenting new songs and leaping into the world of a mini Broadway-style musical. With hints of ‘Rent’, ‘Hairspray’ and a little of Sara Bareilles, we travelled with the passengers as each revealed their hidden selves.
Each character represented part of society struggling with their every day lives singing about how they were trying to ‘impress for success’. As the actors boarded the train, their stories unfurled. Freya Moore played a woman deep in depression looking down a dark road and Lizzie Tang, an effervescent young woman trying to weave a way through her future and rental costs. Aleksandra Ford portrayed a worn out but loving new mother whose identity is lost and Jemima Stratton played a character seeking to heal from heartbreak. Greg Thornton’s and Steve Rowe’s characters board the train as a father and son with obvious worry and fear around a father’s growing forgetfulness and finally Hannah O’Donoghue boards as a young woman with health issues putting on a brave face. Young and older, new love and love lost, health issues and worries about their place in life; it was a capsule of today’s post-covid life style and choices.
Each singer poured their hearts into the songs about who they are and their struggles. Freya Moore sang with a sad and lyrical gentleness contrasting with Lizzie Tang’s pizzazz. Aleksandra Ford and Hannah Donoghue presented their songs beautifully and Jemima Stratton tugged at our heartstrings. It was great to hear two male voices from Greg and Steve offering a gravitas as they sang about their worries around the same fears of ageing.
The musical is only an hour long but it is just the right length to take a ride with each character. The songs are the script and the well played piano and guitar gave enough support for the singers. Before it sounds too depressing, there are some fun songs and dancing as the ensemble gets to know each other and recognises in each person similar views of life and love. Some travellers bond and others support the breaking out of fellow passengers’ lives.
