Shrine: Tell Me A Story

Shrine

Shrine Rating

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“Shrine”, presented by Darlington Theatre Players, is a stage play by Tim Winton that explores how people deal with sudden loss, how our hurt can be hidden beneath different emotions and the lasting impact grief can have on our relationships. The play centres on car crash victim, Jack specifically the enduring trauma that is left in the lives of his parents and friends after his death.

All of the cast members fully imbue their character’s internal struggles. Gavin Crane plays Adam Mansfield, the bereft father of Jack, conveying the resolved hopelessness of one-turned-to-drink. His shining moment, “I want him back” possibly the greatest single moment of the show.

Anna Head as Jack’s mother, Mary Mansfield, is clearly a polished performer and her intense, outpourings of grief provide a balanced juxtaposition to Crane’s stoicism – such a shame to not have any interaction between these characters given the prowess of the actors.

The role of Jack’s friend, June is expertly handled by Madelaine Page who lends a dry humour to June’s sense of invisibility. Tom Rankin is cast perfectly as Jack and is effortlessly likable whilst Geordie Bartle and Jack Buckmaster as Will and Ben are almost too believable as the “bad boys”.

Gary Wetherilt embraces selective realism for set design and succeeds in invoking West Australian culture. The beach house perfectly embodies south coast holiday homes and the roadside monument for Jack is adorned with the cross, empty Jim Beam bottles and fake flowers one can still typically see along WA roads to this day. The surfboard pushed out atop a barely concealed trolley on wheels elicited several giggles however perhaps we were all eager for a chortle after nearly ninety minutes of monologues.

With such raw and confronting themes, I was expecting to feel uncomfortable, moved or even sad at times however a great novelist does not a playwright make – the pillars of rising action, climax, dénouement and resolution lacking from this (dramatic) text. The overuse of “telling” the story to the audience becomes boring; so much so that any snippet of conversational dialogue seems positively enthralling. Nevertheless, none of the lassitude I felt lay at the feet of Director, Chris McRae or the Cast who battled to bring the drama to what is more “narrative prose” than “one act play”.

To book tickets to Shrine, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1300971.

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8 Women: Old Mill Theatre

8 Women

8 Women Rating

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I always love a good murder mystery. It’s a genre that never goes out of fashion. 8 Women is one of those good old fashioned murder mysteries with comedy, drama and mystery all rolled into one.

Presented by Playlovers at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth, 8 Women is an international award-winning play by French writer, Robert Thomas.

Set in an isolated mansion in the snowy French countryside, a man is found dead with a knife in his back, and all 8 women are suspects.

What is meant to be a time of celebration as they all come together for the Christmas holiday season turns into 24 hours of mayhem as they each suspect the other of murder. All 8 women are known to each other, and they each have a motive for killing the patriarch of the family, Marcel.

There’s the lady of the house and Marcel’s wife, Gabby. Gabby’s neurotic sister, Augustine, and Gabby’s mother, only known as Granny, which Marcel has kindly allowed both to live with him and Gabby at the mansion. Then there’s Marcel and Gabby’s daughters, Suzon and Catherine, their nanny, Madame Chanel, the sultry maid, Louise and Marcel’s sexy sister, Pierette.

Tension between the women grows as secrets are revealed on their path to discovering the identity of the murderer. As Catherine declares, the murderer must be one of them.

Whilst there was no clear indication as to which decade this was set in, there were very strong vibes of a 1950s melodrama.

As the play is naturally all spoken in English for the audience to understand, it became apparent that these were meant to French characters when upon Suzon’s return from London she says she learnt some new English words and says them in French.

The actresses each play of their roles superbly and the chemistry between them is palpable. The play however was far too long. There were scenes that really didn’t add anything to the story and could have been left out. It was so long that towards the end, I had almost lost interest on finding out who amongst them was the murderer.

Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable play with an ending that you either love or hate. Expect hair-pulling, taunting, crying and lot of screeching as the women turn on each other in search of the truth.

To book tickets to 8 Women, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/playlovers/.

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Murder at Checkmate Manor

Murder at Checkmate Manor

Murder at Checkmate Manor Rating

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A company well known for their pantomimes, comedies, and British farces; Tea Tree Players Theatre Company offer something within the same vein but perhaps at an all-new extreme. Julie Datson’s production of ‘The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery – Murder at Checkmate Manor’ will take audiences back to the era of cheesy country town hall entertainment, complete with dated fashion parades, cute quizzes during interval, and constantly breaking the fourth wall.

At the doors of the theatre, the audience is greeted and invited in by Thelma (Hayley Mitchell) who tells us she has recently been crowned ‘Miss Farndale 2025’, loudly and excitedly ushering people in. The unorthodox and absurd tone of the show is further consolidated as people are seated with elements of the small, deliberately flimsy set falling apart and the crew coming onstage to attempt to ‘fix’ them. With set walls appearing to be rushed in quality, the stair rail frequently wobbling out of place, the chess set often collapsing, chairs malfunctioning, and curtains constantly drooping, complete chaos is expected to follow.

The cast matches this level of calamity with their characters’ deliberately bad acting, including the monotonous recitation of lines, poorly timed or incorrect entrances, skipping pages of dialogue, forgotten or incomplete costume changes, uncontrollable giggling, and the correcting and prompting of each other on stage. As the show progresses, moments range from entertaining to excruciating as the plot is lost amongst the theatrical carnage, and while the identity of the murderer may be obvious, the ending is not.

With the challenge to act badly well, the actors certainly rose to the occasion and were clearly able to have a lot of fun with it. Chris Galipo channels the benevolent Mrs Reece, overwhelmed by having taken on too many characters whilst hosting and managing the community event as well. Mitchell’s Thelma is earnestly demanding in her attempts to be the centre of attention, enthusiastically delivering many of her lines to the audience rather than her co-stars. Jo-Anne Davis’s awkward performance as Felicity is comical, as she tries to navigate which side of stage to come through and juggle the incredibly quick costume changes between Butler Pawn and Colonel King.

Meredith Kreig is hysterical as Audrey, whose various characters involve a deadpan voice or giggles at inappropriate moments. Finally, Ashleigh Merriel as Sylvia, who plays Inspector O’Reilly, is fantastically matter of fact and tired of everyone else mucking around. Together, this cast lean into everything that goes wrong and encourage each other to reach the extreme of their scene.

While the set was compact, the space was used well between the five performers as it wasn’t often that they were all on at the same time. While the large white armchair, stair railing, and chessboard were central pieces, there were photographs and various ornaments scattered around were small details that added nicely to the community feel. Lighting and sound were used to keep the gags going, particularly when black outs came too early or late, the wrong sound effect was used, or just to emphasise comic timing. However, it can also be said that there comes a point where less is more, and some niche references to home video narration will go over the heads of those under the usual demographic of about 65.

Sprinkled through with the occasional innuendo and plenty of shenanigans, this production was filled with many moments where they’re so bad they’re good.

To book tickets to Murder at Checkmate Manor, please visit https://teatreeplayers.com/production/the-farndale-avenue-housing-estate-townswomens-guild-dramatic-society-murder-mystery/.

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Suite Surrender: Presented By Endeavour Theatre

Suite Surrender

Suite Surrender Rating

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3

It’s 1942 and the Palm Beach Ladies for Unity – or P.B.L.F.U. – are running a show to support the war effort. Headlining is starlet Claudia McFadden (played by Jen Demeza), known for her quick temper and tendency to throw bellhops out of four-storey windows. Unfortunately for McFadden, Athena Sinclair (played by Margaret Costantine) is also on the bill – known for her flirtatious nature, her countless ex-husbands, and being McFadden’s archrival. However, disaster strikes when the two starlets are assigned to the same hotel suite, and a beautiful dance of avoidance and misdirection ensues, as all parties try to ensure Sinclair and McFadden never see each other.

The show delightfully builds to the moment of dread when the two cabaret queens finally clash, teasing the audience with every near miss. The multiple doors on stage (crafted by Patrick Watson) allowed for some great comedic moments, particularly with the constant comings and goings of the players.

This show’s ensemble cast worked together seamlessly, each creating their own individual disasters that coalesce into one glorious mess by the finale. Jen Demeza as Claudia McFadden upholds a classic Hollywood air akin to Grace Kelly, though she does not shy away from the starlet’s grouchier moments. Margaret Constantine as Athena Sinclair was deliciously devilish, prompting an audible gasp from the audience upon her first entrance in a glimmery, sequined gown. James Fraser’s Mr Dunlap was a strong pillar of the show, juggling several crises at once, while keeping (or, trying to keep) a calm visage. Chris Johnson was fantastic as McFadden’s assistant, Pippet, sharing great chemistry with Fraser and Demeza in particular.

Amy McDonnell was sweetly stressed as Sinclair’s assistant Murphy, demonstrating the strongest American accent out of the cast. James Manson, as bellhop Francis, also had great chemistry with McDonnell, prompting a cheer from the audience during one of their shared scenes. Manson was also a good contrast to Darragh Browne’s Otis, who bumbled and fawned over the starlets with such earnestness, and provided two of the show’s biggest laughs. Despite the occasional need for prompting, Denise Mignon and Rosanna Baccala were surprising comedic additions as nosy reporter Dora Del Rio and P.B.L.F.U. chairwoman Mrs Osgood, providing unique physical and musical comedy.

While the show opens with some big-band jazz, it would’ve been great to have some playing pre-show, to set the tone and immerse the audience further. I thought some of the dialogue could’ve been a bit faster paced, but the energy was high and consistent nonetheless. I also hoped for some more variety in blocking, particularly in scenes with more than two characters as it had the tendency to become quite static at times.

It is clear that Suite Surrender has been made with love, dedication and detail. The set (by Patrick Watson) has been fitted with multiple doors, room for a piano, and a built-in robe, and is decorated with Van Gogh paintings, a gold bar cart, and a classic American flag. There has evidently been a great deal of research into the costuming (by Linda Thompson), hairstyles and makeup (by Penny Chambers) of the 40s, and it certainly pays off. Each player looks stunning in their costumes, with some great contrasting colours and textures contributing to the characters’ conflicts.

For a genre that is often overlooked in the modern day, farce is Endeavour Theatre’s specialty, and Suite Surrender proves this beyond a doubt. If you enjoy classic comedic theatre featuring too many doors, a tiny dog, and an absurd amount of long-stemmed white roses, check in to the Palm Beach Royale Hotel and stay a while.

To book tickets to Suite Surrender, please visit https://www.endeavourtheatre.org.au/.

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