Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Rating

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3

Ray Lawler’s play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is a cornerstone of Australian theatre. Directed by Tom Richards, the Arts Theatre Cronulla cast put their hearts and backs into this iconic story. The passion displayed onstage and the clear camaraderie of the local audience helped transport the room back to 1953, to a time of labour and love.

As you enter the charming theatre, you first see the gorgeous set. The olive walls and the sixteen beautiful Kewpie dolls scattered around the stage gave the audience a time capsule-like snapshot of the nostalgic and cosy 1950s Melbourne living room. The meticulous attention to detail simultaneously hinted at and highlighted both the charm and decay of the characters’ lives. The set became more than just a backdrop; it was a living, breathing part of the story—the eighth character, if you will.

 

Among the performances, Pearl, played by Rachel Lauren Baker, was the stand-out. Despite playing the group’s outsider, Baker’s portrayal of the outwardly strait-laced, respectable widow was captivating and made it difficult to look elsewhere when she took to the stage. Her performance unified the cast, drawing out stronger moments from the others and holding tight to the emotional core of Lawler’s work ensured that the play’s over-arching themes resonated with the audience. Pearl’s realist view of the layoff balances the over-excitement of Ally O’Brien’s Olive. The pair were cataclysmic and jarring: a blunt realist who tends to lean more on the pessimistic side and an idealist stuck in the past. The dynamic felt authentic, and the pair played off each other with admirable ease.

Peter David Allison was everything Barney was meant to be: a sloppy but loveable oaf with a wicked sense of humour. His energy was unmatched, forcing laughter from even the most stoic of audience members. Barney’s commanding presence was softened by his unassuming charm, particularly when it came to Bubba or Emma, played by Eliza Spowart and Narelle Jaeger, respectively.

The integrity of the story and the authenticity of the era shone through the costumes and the music that added texture and invaluable personality to the performance. A huge shout-out to Lesley Tinker who oversaw props and wardrobe, they were stunning.

Despite moments where the dialogue felt a little rushed, making it hard to follow on occasion, it was no different to listening to a friend who gets a little over-excited and passionate about a unique interest, which added an endearing quality to the slight confusion.

Overall, this is not a play to miss. Whether you know the story or not, the Arts Theatre in Cronulla is the place to be for the next few weeks. Head to their website to book your tickets before it’s too late! The show closes on the 22nd of March. Performances are Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays 9 and 16 March at 2pm.

To book tickets to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, please visit https://www.artstheatrecronulla.com.au/summeroftheseventeenthdoll

Photographer: Peter Gale – Graham West

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.

Arts Theatre Cronulla Presents: The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps Rating

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4

High-paced physical comedy and a wildly multi-talented cast carry this chaotic and hilarious staged version of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps at Cronulla Arts Theatre.

Director Cheryl Butler’s production is charming and deft. With a cast of four and a character list of more than 150, this production is a serious ask of its ensemble. The four actors switch accents, attitudes, and hats at pace throughout the play and manage to get both laughs and sympathetic groans from the crowd.

 

Gavin Leahy’s Richard Hannay is charming and moves almost like Ray Bolger’s Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz film; his pratfalls and facial expressions add jokes to the already enjoyable script. He and Angela Gibson (who play the three key female characters who cross Hannay’s path) both have genuine chemistry and some of the most precise timed visual gags.

The two clowns, Gary Clark and Kathryn Bray have several sequences where the gags are layered as they switch characters and accents with simple movements or costume shifts. These two actors create the groundwork for the moments of romantic chemistry, always following them with a wink and a nudge.

Despite a reasonably long run time for a comedy, the show doesn’t lose your attention. The night we attended, the laughs only seemed to build as the night went along. Using a standalone door as a prop starts slightly funny and grows to be consistently hilarious. The suits are sharp, the staging is mostly minimal, and that’s also worked into the comedy of the thing. The prop work, especially from Kathryn Bray, is excellent.

 

Patrick Barlow’s stage adaptation takes a loving and goofy approach to the source material. The iconic plane chase appears in shadow puppet relief, and there’s a dramatic and hilarious action sequence on a train that both pays tribute to and pokes fun at the original.

If you’re looking for a faithful Hitchcock adaptation, this is not the play for you, but some passing knowledge of the film will deepen the experience of the show and add a few jokes that might go over the head of someone going in cold. The energy required to convincingly carry off a clowning play is immense, and Cronulla Arts Theatre’s production of The 39 Steps has it and then some. I would thoroughly recommend it.

For Tickets to The 39 Steps, please book @ https://www.artstheatrecronulla.com.au/the39steps

The season runs from 25 October to 30 November, with Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees on 27 October and 3, 17, and 24 November at 2 p.m.

Photographer: Dan Binger, Graham West, Jeffrey Gall, Mark Phillips, Peter Gale

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.

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