Community Garden is a play with no intermission about a man named Ralph, a nervous and new volunteer at Uptown City Gardens. Throughout the show he is slowly drawn to the strangers in the community, who all offer different stories and upbringings, but who all come together in one garden. This show is written by Justin Borak and directed by Cade Smith. August 7th was the world wide premiere for the Australian version. Justin Borak and Cade Smith worked hand-in-hand to rework the original story to fit Western Australia.
When I walked into Roxy Lane theatre, the foyer was transformed into a small Italian restaurant, representing Gigi’s Italian Family Restaurant, the Italian restaurant in the play. Pizzas were available to order so the audience could come into the restaurant at the end of the show and enjoy their meal, a truly creative way to immerse the audience into the story, even after the show had ended. The art of the set is intricate and realistic while offering lots to look at and the props (including a full-sized cut out of one of the characters) were true works of art that made the audience laugh. The work that went into the set and props, made by Kirsten Halford-Bailey, Nellie Pease, Sophie Harwood, and Cade Smith, hit the mark and it is clear just how much time and effort went into the art. I appreciated the play’s use of technology as they chose to use a screen off to the side of the stage to show the other end of a Zoom call that a character is making. Not many sound effects were used and there was no music, but the performance itself makes up for it. The lighting, designed by Katherine Robertson, was simple, only switching slightly as the tones changed. The costumes, designed by Kirsten Halford-Bailey and the cast, are modest, not drawing too much attention, but they fit the character’s personalities well. Bella, wonderfully played by Zarah D’Costa, is covered in flour to display her hard work at the pizzeria she works at.
Ralph, played by Harry West, is naturally funny and would remind you of someone you know, a friend. His acting is real and friendly, allowing the audience to feel at ease. Elle Fisher plays both Donna and April, naturally owning the stage. She provides comic relief and fills the role of characters that show reality and acceptance. When watching Rachel Calder play Casey, her conversations and actions felt natural, like the audience could be part of the conversation. This show offers even more to relate to as there is LGBTQ+ representation in multiple characters. Several times throughout the performance, audience members fully laughed at the dialogue. The comedy gives the audience a joyous moment in such an intricate production.
This is a heartfelt play that offers many moments that people of all ages can relate to. Community Garden is playing at Roxy Lane Theatre from August 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, and I, for one, plan on visiting my local community garden soon to see what might be in store.
To book tickets to Community Garden, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/roxylanetheatre/.
