Last night I had the honour of watching celebrated and local playwright Andrew Bovell’s Speaking In Tongues at the State Theatre Centre for Black Swan Theatre Company. Directed by local theatre actor and director Humphrey Bower, this well known play (which some of you might also remember as the screen play under the name Lantana) was very successful back in the 90’s early 2000’s. I was interested to see if the play would resonate today and how audiences would respond.
This psychological thriller tells of 9 middle aged characters and how their lives interweave and clash – keeping you on the edge of your seat, guessing what is coming next. It explores the themes of betrayal, growing apart, emptiness and relationships as a middle age couple. With an audience demographic of those who were mostly middle age in the 90’s – I think Black Swan have chosen well for their audience and with the knowing laughs that were rolling, it was clearly resonated.
The set itself was stark and somewhat noir – a little like the play itself. I would have liked to see some more innovation with the set and costuming but also understand that maybe this play, originally mounted at Sydney’s intimate Griffin Theatre in 1998 is much better suited to a studio or small stage performance. It sometimes felt like the actors were lost on the vast stage, with minimal set and I wondered if a more complex set design could have helped with this. What I did love from the set design though, was the iconic Telstra phone box which immediately took you back to the 90’s and what it was like to live through that era – a vast difference to the technology today.
The cast of four who are all WA actors, were a superb ensemble and the stand out performance should go to Matt Edgerton for his seamless shape shifting of his 3 characters in which he was able to delineate so well. They all felt so distinct, real and I especially loved his portrayal of the character of Nick in which he uncovered great depth. Catherine Moore was suitably cast and although she seemed to have a slip up on a line – she handled it like a true professional with the help of Edgerton. Alexandria Steffensen delivered an incredibly naturalistic and nuanced performance and I loved the confidence she chose to give her characters – it was refreshing to see a confident middle age woman portrayed on stage!
Lastly Luke Hewitt who is a stalwart of professional theatre in WA, delivered a solid performance which was undoubtably likeable, relatable and personable – probably why he keeps getting cast again and again. I did feel that some of the cast were mismatched at times and I felt a lack of connection between the characters. Some may say this is the point of the play – how well do you really know someone despite spending your life with them? I would argue though, that lifelong partners undoubtably know each other inside out and have deep connection and knowing despite the fact that they make not want to acknowledge or display that.
Ultimately what is brilliant about this play and why it is an Australian classic is that it gets you thinking about life, relationship and what it all means. Its not purely entertainment (although it delivers on this too) but a vehicle for reflection, change and critical thinking.
I highly recommend jumping on this show before it closes as it’s rare that you get to see such a prolific and talented writer like Bovell, paired with such a brilliant cast. I am very grateful to Black Swan that they make WA writers and Australian stories a priority! Speaking In Tongues closes September 14th.
To book tickets to Speaking In Tongues, please visit https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/speaking-in-tongues.
Photographer: Daniel J Grant Photography
