Pymble Players - Whats The Show

The Spook Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Travel back to the heart of 1960s working class Australia with ‘The Spook,’ by Melissa Reeves, where the spectre of betrayal looms large and true friendships are put to the test.

Set within the sleepy country town of Bendigo, we are drawn into an examination of the impact of external threats on community dynamics, and the frenzy of Cold War paranoia. These themes are personal, local and global. What makes them resonate is that this biting satire is based on real life events.

Director Casey Moon-Watton presents a thought provoking and at times confronting plot packed with political discourse and fiery debates. Audiences will listen carefully, perhaps even access Google afterwards when words like ‘Trotskyist’ and ‘neo-Marxism’ are casually dropped into the conversation. Loyalty, camaraderie and treachery interweave, yet despite the seriousness of these themes, it’s also unexpectedly funny and at times wryly witty.

In the tense Menzies era, where neighbours could be seen as enemies, the characters are vividly real in their flaws. Moon-Wattons’ open, minimalist and deliberately incomplete set design places each character’s emotional journey front and centre while serving as an ironic metaphor of the story’s exploration of hidden truths and obscured realities.

We experience this story through the eyes of young and naive Martin (Cameron Drake), who is teetering on the brink of adulthood, yet lacks direction and ambition. Struggling to find his identity, he is trapped within the confines of a stifling and banally homogenous community. As with most young adults, Martin just wants to be liked, seen and belong. This makes him perfect fodder for recruitment as a spy against the local Communist Party. Drake presents an agonising mix of adolescent awkwardness and bravado. As Martin slowly comes of age, he is forced to find his moral compass through the gradual realisation that life isn’t a game of heroes and villains.

Trixie, his watchful and disapproving mother, (Courtney Farrow) is everything you’d expect to be in a middle aged woman living in a small post war country town; stoic, repressed and afraid of change. Farrow did well to widen the generational gap despite being quite young for this role. She juggles quick costume and character changes with aplomb to also play Phyllis, the bright but unwitting member and partner of world weary party leader Frank (Rawdon Waller). Frank is the strong but abrasive voice of reason and Waller displayed an accurate understanding of an angry man battling within a system that is rapidly heading towards self-destruction.

Brett Joachim is Martin’s amusingly aloof Controller – in every sense of the word. He is oily and snarky as he manipulates and corrupts his charge’s innocence. He knows Martin is missing a father figure and confidante, which makes his actions and nonchalant lack of empathy quite ghastly.

Tida Dhanommitrapap has the daunting task of playing triple roles. Jean, a perpetually late party member and a stiff-upper lipped policewoman in Act 2. Her main role is Annette, Martin’s girlfriend, who delights in having something apart from Pick-a-Box to distract herself from her utter boredom of small town, small minded constraints and complete indifference to her pending marriage. Both an accomplice and hindrance, she enjoys the perceived glamour of her second-hand status without any of the moral repercussions.

(Nathan Heinrich and Kate Kelly) deliver solid and authentic performances, while producing credible accents as the mysterious Greek couple George and Eli Tassak. Their sad plight and immigration journey is compelling and raises the stakes in forcing Martin to see the real people and motivation behind the “right little nest of dirty Reds”.

Geoff Jones cleverly weaves a subtly chilling soundscape, complemented by an array of pop music and protest songs during scene changes. This enhanced the atmosphere of the era, adding tension and mood, while Anthea Brown’s costumes captured the ultimately conservative modesty of a country town lagging behind the trends and heady days of the swinging 60’s.

We have the indulgence to observe this distinctly Australian zeitgeist through the unique lens of historical context. In light of current politics around China, Palestine and Russia, it is more relevant today than ever. Will it never not be relevant?

‘The Spook’ serves as a timely reminder, highlighting the cyclical nature of history while injecting fresh perspectives into ongoing debates, with a distinctly nostalgic flavour. See this show to reignite your political fervour, embrace your apathy, or simply laugh at the consequences of both.

‘The Spook’ by The Pymble Players plays from 15th May – 8th June 2024. See https://pymbleplayers.com.au/the-spook for details.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Patrick Hamilton’s play Gaslight is a classic domestic noir, performed with careful consideration by the Pymble Players. The English novelist and playwright wrote Gaslight in 1938. After its popularity with the resulting plays and the 1944 Hollywood film, ‘To Gaslight’ became synonymous with the meaning of someone psychologically manipulating another for their advantage, to make them doubt their memory, perception of reality and their own sanity.

Gaslight, directed by Joy Sweeney, is set in Victorian England. It revolves around the Manninghams – Jack and Bella. From the first introduction to these characters, we see an upper-class, seemingly happy couple. They are in the drawing room, where we subtly recognise wealth in the Manningham’s furniture and locked fold-up wooden writing cabinet. This is where tea is served in dainty teacups by the servants, a place where they can engage in relaxing conversation.

However, things do not remain relaxing for long. We soon see Jack, portrayed by Nick Roberts, turn from being a supportive and loving husband into an aggressive and accusatory bully. This flip-of-a-switch was acted with such credibility that it took the audience by surprise, which is how director Joy Sweeney wanted to present this psychological abuse “to create a feeling of severity”.

Amelia Conway’s fragile portrayal of Bella is outstanding, and as she goes from being joyfully excited by the invitation from her husband to attend the theatre to having him rescind it, we witness the disintegration of her mind. When she is victimised and scorned by Jack, we flinch. When Jack abruptly leaves the room, we feel his weighty presence in Bella’s nervous disposition.

There are clear delineations of class and power in this household.

The servants have different personalities, and both play a significant supporting role with strong performances. Georgia Drewe’s Nancy is bold, teetering on defiance towards her mistress. Kate Kelly’s Elizabeth is a strong, motherly and caring woman, reminiscent of perhaps a governess in another period drama.

As the play progresses, a stranger enters and begins to unravel a twenty-year mystery involving the house and the characters within. Retired Detective Rough, portrayed with finesse by David Kirkham, brings a sense of much-needed comedic levity to balance out the sharp points in a play involving domestic abuse. When explaining his visit to Bella, David’s Detective Rough, particularly during the first act, was a guiding narrator of the unfolding past. Therefore, his script was noticeably long, and David handled this task beautifully.

Gaslight is more of a slow burn than a thriller, where the audience is exposed to the intricacies of a mystery as it is revealed. It slots into the era of Agatha Christie, where we examine each character and try to figure out motives.

The cast’s wardrobe, by director Joy Sweeney, packaged up the Victorian era and captured the upper class wholly, down to the dress ruffles, long heavy capes and expensive hats.

Sound design by Geoff Jones kept the audience’s attention and ratcheted up the uneasy atmosphere throughout the play.

Gaslight highlights the domestic abuse darkness that lives behind closed doors, and though set in London in the 1880s, it remains as relevant and prevalent in modern society today.

Running Time: Two hours and 25 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.

Season: 1st -26th November 2023
Pymble Players – 55A Mona Vale Road, entrance via Bromley Ave

Photographer: Daniel Ferris

This review also appears on It’s On The House, or check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre Reviews.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online