Amanda Harrison🥉

Rate of Decay is an anthological Australian Gothic Theatre piece created and directed by Xanthe Jones. It totes itself as an ‘exploration into the shadows of the Australian Psyche’ and delivers eleven separate stories played by a talented cast of seven. Rate of Decay is a goodie bag full of delights, and some darker chocolates that leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Some segments are played for comedy, providing moments of levity whilst some scenes are heavy and tense. As a whole, it provides an entertaining journey across the far reaches of Australia.

Our opening scene explores a very natural feeling relationship between a young couple and some eventuating mysteries in the bush. This story felt like a tall tale told at the pub come alive, with eerie consequences. Tension built nicely across this cameo, however I would have liked to see a little more of the ill fated outcomes of the characters and the involvement of the old man. Triona Calimbayan-Giles captivates the audience with her performance and Peter Hatton plays an irritating yet good natured spouse. There was some issue understanding Hatton in this segment as his articulation could use some refinement to ensure we capture every beat of the dialogue. Next we are introduced to a concept called ‘Memory’ which is a beautifully written thriller. Alisha O’Brien steals the stage with an ernest and expressive performance, and Tom Pocilujko plays an annoyingly supportive brother. The beat shift at the conclusion of this scene was sublime, Xanthe Jones is a master of writing flawed Men.

The play then flows into ‘the interview’ which presents as a crime thriller set in a police station. Siena D’Arienzo does an exceptional job as ‘Marsha’ , a lost little girl, her performance felt perfectly innocent. Josephine Olton plays a straight talking detective while Will Kasper is a loose tempered wild-card. The twist in this segment was fun although the delivery fell flat, it felt over-explained. It also felt odd that Kasper remained after losing his temper, this might have concluded better if Kasper stormed out and Olton was left to hesitantly ask a final one or two questions. The play then introduces us to the absolute highlight ‘Castle Hill Lookout’ which explores three teenage boys mucking up in the bush. The comedic beats land perfectly and the nuanced drama and connections feel completely authentic. Jones writes a compelling and honest feeling dialogue between these young men. She expertly conveys their flaws, yet also their love for each other in navigating difficult subjects in a friendship. Hatton, Kasper and Pocilujko have great chemistry in this cameo, it left me wanting more of this relationship.

We are then taken to ‘Best in show’ set at a Dalby Pageant. This section felt mostly played for laughs with ‘cat fight’ coming to mind. It gives a small reprieve from the heavier themes and doesn’t feel like it serves much other purpose. Next we find ourselves in ‘Gold Fever’ which centres around two gold panners and one travelling woman. This segment lost some pace due to the attempt at heightened language, which occasionally felt like it detracted from the Australian feel. The scene did however contain some fantastic fight choreography, in fact all fight choreography in the play was crisp and well done. ‘The Love Spell’ is a fun albeit dark segment, however it didn’t always feel like the aggression between the schoolgirls was motivated or earnt. ‘Pine Gap’ was an enjoyable moment of levity providing some well placed opportunities for laughter.

‘Orphans’ takes us on a journey amongst three girls living at a Victorian orphanage. The chemistry between O’Brien, D’Arienzo and Olton feels ernest, keeping us drawn in. I would have liked to see this scene develop even more and use a more ‘show don’t tell’ approach but it was effective. ‘Believers’ had us at the dining table of a cult between the first wife and the enigmatic leader. This scene was compelling and worked well, although it did feel like certain shocking things were revealed with much weight at times. ‘Pray for us’ felt like a neat political statement about nuclear energy, leaving us on a slightly harrowing note.

Rate of Decay was an interesting experience that took us on many ups and downs. It had great fight choreography and the segments ‘Memory’ and ‘Castle Hill Lookout’ were masterfully handled. Jones excels at complex relationships and flawed characters. There was room for more exploration in some of these more intriguing scenes, while others seemed only for comedy or came up slightly short. All in all, an intriguing play that was well performed. The cast and crew should be commended on their efforts.

To book tickets to Rate Of Decay, please visit https://backbone.org.au/backbone-festival-2025-events/rate-of-decay.

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