The Kid By Michael Gow
SBW Stables
Unedited version of review published in The Daily Telegraph
It's regional Australia and young people are fleeing the bush and making their way to the big cities along the east coast.
Dean (Akos Armont) and his sister, Snake (Emma Palmer) are part of the exodus, as they hunt down some compensation in Sydney for their sick brother Aspro (Andrew Ryan).
The three delinquents refuel at a small dusty town where they find the young and naïve opera lover Donald (Eamon Farren) who Dean immediately takes a shining too. Unaccustomed to rejection Dean promptly captures Donald and drags him to Sydney.
The four arrive to find monolithic apartment blocks, a bureaucracy that wouldn’t be misplaced in a Franz Kafka creation and religious cult follower neighbours Desiree (Yael Stone) and father figure (Mark Pegler).
Although penned over twenty years ago this 2008 production of The Kid places it amongst the scores of plays that are currently emerging from the post- September 11 theatres of Britain and the US which contain a deep apocalyptic mood.
This makes the play lose none of its relevance but a big red pen would not have gone astray to make it more contemporary with cuts to some unnecessary and long-winded scenes.
The direction by Tom Healy is tight, utilising the small and intimate theatre space along with an economical and diverse set design by Gabrielle Logan. The ensemble is beautifully cast with some veteran and very recent acting graduates with the highlight being the deeply moving performance by Yael Stone as the affected child of a cult family.
Ironically this play was written at the end of another conservative period of governance in Australia and the question has to be asked – where are the current crop of new writers after this recent government. Are they too shy – or do they have nothing to say?
SBW Stables Theatre
10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross
Date19 March 2008 to 26 April 2008
Tickets$36-$43
Bookings1300 306 776
www.griffintheatre.com.au
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Review: The Kid
Posted by Nicholas Pickard at 9:54 am
Labels: Australian Plays, Playwrights, Review
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I certainly agree about Yael Stone's performance--that's an actor we will be seeing a lot more from in the future, which is exciting. Part of what distinguishes her from the other recent grads in the production is that she manages to find nuance and stillness in the midst of the histrionics. Unfortunately I don't think the director has served the others as well by pushing the performances into shouting for much of the time. That said, well worth seing as piece of Australian theatrical and cultural history.
I agree about the shouting business... but I think that may have been more first night nerves than anything else.
When did you attend TE?
I was there opening night and perhaps you are right about it being adrenalin-fuelled shouting, especially from Emma Palmer and Andrew Ryan (let me hasten to add that they were otherwise very good). I think the plot glitch in Gow's play is in never giving us a clear reason as to why Donald would get into a car and disappear into the night with three such violent and scary people. It's as if a beat is missing-one in which we see him make the decision and understand why. If there had been more subtle persuasion and less bombast in that opening scene in the cafe and then in the bookshop, perhaps it would have papered over the crack?
went to see the kid. i enjoyed it. but i didnt understand the socio-historical context? what was happening around australia when these children decided to move to sydney from the north? and how do u feel it is relevant to todays day and age?
also, about the religous context in the play..what did that really bring to it?
Post a Comment