Ray and Syliva meet across a crowded room and instantly fall in love. Within a year, they are married and heading off on the honeymoon of a lifetime, three weeks on a distant beach, twelve hours away.
But somewhere between take-off and landing, everything changes.
Soon after we strap in for Pip Theatre’s latest theatrical journey, we are taken by turbulence; Brace Brace follows the trials and transformation of trauma, avoiding didacticism, but with plenty of lighter moments to lift the mood. This is a story of survival that counts the cost, asking the most compelling of questions: what would I do?
Written by playwright Oli Forsyth, Brace Brace is a tricky script to perform, traversing time and space, boasting clipped, rapid-fire dialogue, full of interjections – handled here with aplomb. The story is thematically balanced, tight and well-paced – the truth and precision of delivery a testament to the production’s thorough preparation. I enjoy the immersive presentation, complete with inflight announcement, airline safety instructions for the program, and nice pictures of the newlyweds in the theatre foyer.
The cast are Henry Solomon as Ray, Amelia Slatter as Sylvia and Matthew Filkins in multiple roles. Each actor shows nice emotional range, giving light and shade amidst distress and resilience; The portrayals are contemplative, sharing shifting perspectives on morality, accountability and moving on. Solomon and Slatter show spontaneous, fluid movement, with nice connection – and at times anguished disconnection – as the honeymooners. The story relays how they met, and the incident that changed their lives on the way to their honeymoon, the initial exhilaration turning to examination as the couple trade places in their reactions; She is initially philosophical but ultimately finds it hard to forget, he is initially more uncomfortable – with the framing of the event, and perceptions around his role in both that and perhaps his role in their relationship more broadly – but then is better able to check his emotional baggage.
Solomon and Slatter beautifully highlight the tension between honouring your own experience and freeing yourself from it – a challenge Ray and Syliva struggle to overcome. Filkins shows good versatility in his roles; His multiple casting works especially well here, where the presence of one character he portrays looms large throughout, despite only a brief physical appearance on stage.
Overall, Brace Brace is thought provoking and rendered with honest emotional weight, seasoned with levity. The fight scenes are well handled in the intimate space, the simple set all that is required to bring the story to life. Poignant, rapid-fire and darkly comedic, Brace Brace is a triumph for director Deidre Grace and the entire Pip Theatre team. A must see.
To book tickets to Brace Brace , please visit https://piptheatre.org/brace-brace/.
