Floating World - Review

Reviewed by Nathan Finger and Sydney Abba
Since its first staging in 1974 John Romeril’s The Floating World, has been largely missing from our stages … until now. Sam Strong’s latest production has just opened at the Stables with the Griffin Theatre Company.

Set on a cruise ship in the 1970s, Les and Irene Harding are enjoying a long awaited vacation, and Les is availing himself of the opportunity by consuming more drinks than would be recommended. In this setting, the pair meets and mingles with other passengers and crew. From here, the play could be seen as a comedy, performing a sendup of such cruises, the people onboard and those that work there. However the play takes a dark turn. Les saw service during World War Two and spent time as a prisoner of war in a Japanese concentration camp. As the play progresses Les begins to have flashbacks to his harrowing experiences and they gradually begin to invade his reality.

The play makes an interesting analysis of a man who has been coping with his inner-demons. Les’ final monologue reveals the true extent of what he has experienced and the horror that he has tried to repress. It is a common story among soldiers: they are made to believe that they should be able to cope with any conditions, to endure and come through – it is what is meant to be a man and a soldier. But these horrors never truly leave; they are always lurking below.

The Floating World represents a fine piece of writing. Romeril has a keen grip on the uniquely Australian style of comedy, which he mixes well with the tragedy; likewise he successfully blends realism and surrealism, making the text rich, layered and engaging. At times the play may suffer from scenes being too long, particularly the closing of both Acts I and II, which continue for longer than necessary once their point is made. However, this is the only drawback from what is otherwise a brilliant piece.

To the actors: Peter Kowitz plays Les Harding, a difficult role, but one in which Kowitz is compelling as this lonely, isolated and suffering man. There is a beautiful weight to his performance – it is as if the world is truly on his shoulders. If anything is to be criticised it is his initial pacing and clarity during the earlier sections of the play. The audience needed more time to settle into his gruff, rather ocker Australian speech patterns. This aside however, Kowitz tackled the colossal monologue at the play’s conclusion with great success.

The supporting cast was just as strong. Justin Smith (as the boat’s comic) did a brilliant job with his intentionally bad jokes and was good fun to watch. Valerie Bader as Irene Harding, Les’ wife was hilarious and touching as a naïve woman in an unhappy marriage. Special mention must go to Justin Stewart Cotta as Harry/McLeod, a particular standout. Cotta is a talented performer with a commanding voice for stage. Cotta has great presence which gives him the freedom to convincingly intertwine his fragmented roles.

This is a fine show from a collection of talented artists and is well worth a look. The Floating World is playing with the Griffin Theatre Company until the 16th of November. For more information see their website: http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY WELCOMES JANE BODIE AS ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Jane Bodie joins Griffin Theatre Company as Associate Artist after three years as Head of Playwriting at NIDA. An acclaimed playwright, director and screenwriter in both Australia and the UK for the last fifteen years, Jane’s play This Year’s Ashes premiered to critical acclaim at Griffin in 2011. Her other works include A Single Act (winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award 2006), Music (Playwriting Australia Festival 2011), Out Night One and Still. Jane’s work has also played on international stages in London, New York, Ireland and Brazil.

Jane’s other awards include a Green Room Award for outstanding writing and she was nominated for the Ewa Czajor award for her work as an emerging director. Jane has written extensively for TV and Radio, including The Secret Life of Us, Crash Burn, Channel 4’s No Angels and Moving Wallpaper and several plays for Radio Four and ABC Radio National. She also worked at The Royal Court Theatre as a teacher and mentor on their Young Writers Programme, and has worked as a dramaturg and writers mentor at Playwriting Australia.

Artistic Director Lee Lewis said “Jane Bodie comes to Griffin after her very successful years as Head of Playwriting at NIDA. One of this country's leading playwrights, she is also a gifted and generous dramaturg, balancing her passion for writing with deep love of the craft. Her play This Year’s Ashes was a hit with Griffin audiences in 2011 and I am looking forward to having her great theatre brain and infectious laugh in the building!”

We would like to welcome Jane to the Griffin family. We are wholeheartedly excited for the wonderful year ahead.

Rust and Bone by Caleb Lewis

Sam Smith, Wade Briggs and Renato Musolino (credited to Bob Seary)

The first of this year's programme at the SBW Stables Theatre in Darlinghurst presented by Stories Like These and Giffin Independent.  It is a world premier taken from short stories by Craig Davidson.

Celeb Lewis brings three short stories alive, intertwining them on stage so the audience can see the development of all three, at the same time. This is not an easy thing to achieve, not only do you have to keep the thread of each tale alive but you have to make it clear enough to the audience so they don't get lost.

We meet three characters Ben (Wade Briggs), James (Renato Musolino) and Eddie (Sam Smith).  Each are battling their own demons. Ben has to come to terms with the leg he as lost, James with his infertility and dark love of dog fighting and Eddie a boxer with a guilty conscience. There is little story regarding each character but you learn about their ordeals, what they have been or are going through.  The acting was flawless, they kept up the pace and the timing was spot on. Corey McMahon the Director chose well. Not only did each actor have to play their individual characters but all the minor roles within each others stories; they were on stage the entire time. The directing and music was also excellent. The music was subtle and unobtrusive, some audience members probably wouldn't notice it was there but it was certainly adding to the atmosphere.


It is a tense play with some welcome lighthearted moments. It is very confronting particularly the dog scenes which were very well enacted; though no dogs were actually there you could image the sordid scene, the sweat and the blood.  As an audience member you wanted to sympathise with James but you know what he does, so feel torn. This really is true for all the characters, you want to like them but feel you shouldn't. The writing and dialogue flowed seamlessly up until the last act or phase when I did get lost, not between the stories but exactly what was happening particularly on the ice, I sort of got it at the end but it lacked the clarity of the rest of the play.

Having interview Corey the Director I know he enjoys contemporary plays and developing new ideas. This was so well directed I look forward to whatever he brings to the stage next.

Rust and Bone plays the the SBW Stables until 2 February, click here for more information

A Hoax - Review

Love it, love it, love it! I thoroughly enjoyed the opening night.  A Hoax is written by Rick Viede which won the 2011 Griffin Award.
 A Hoax is about an author Ant (Glen Hazeldine) who writes about a young Aboriginal girl called Currah (Shari Sebbens). The problem is that Currah is not really Currah. Ronnie (Sally McKenzie) a literary agent, who was once known to have the Midas touch, is keen to get back her former glory and when she meets Currah she sees gold. Ant is flung aside and Currah is suddenly the person everybody wants to meet.  There is another character Tyrelle (Charles Allen), as he says to Currah he is a "biracial homosexual from a working-class background". He finds comfort in Currah's story and is humbled by her strength so when he discovers the truth it is almost too much for him and you wonder, for a second, how far he will go.
The script and characters are amusing and sometimes laugh out loud.  It has many double standards for example; Ant says he has to sign the contract because Currah has been known to be exploited and when Tyrelle talks about hating the taxi drivers because they are "racist transphobic homophobic towel heads".  The theme of abuse is runs through the play on many levels; Currah was physically abused, Miri (Kurrah) abuses her relationship with Ant, they all abuse the trust of the public that the story is true, hence the title A Hoax.  The end of Act One has one of the funniest lines when Currah declare to an audience that "Life's like a big fucken dick. It's hard."  In some ways that sums up the whole play, life is hard and some people will do anything to get to the top.
All the actors performed brilliantly and I have to say my favourite character was Ronnie. Sally McKenzie seemed very at home playing the slightly drunk, has been, literary agent.
The director Lee Lewis did a great job putting this together is the confines of the SBW Stables Theatre.  The use of music and film added just the something extra every now and then. It was short and sweet, so gave an instant "wow that was cool"!

A Hoax is playing at the SBW Stables Theatre in Darlinghurst until 1 September.

The Boys by Gordon Graham

Be prepared, this play is highly emotional, violent and when leaving the Theatre you will feel exhausted and amazed.
The Boys is showing at the Griffin Theatre, Darlinghurst until 3 March. The production has set the bar for the year and if all the plays at the Griffin are as good as this, theatre goers are in for a treat.
The story is about a family of three boys, their mum and girlfriends. The eldest brother Brett is about to be released from prison. The family who have been living in relative harmony are nervously awaiting his arrival. The play flits back and forth in time, each time it does you learn a little more of what is in store and what happened in the past. The tension rises as you realise that Brett's return is going to pull the family apart and something terrible is going to happen. The violence escalates in the second half and the scene with the three boys fueled with alcohol and hatred is truly terrifying.
This is a perfect play for the Griffin space, if you have never been, it is a small intimate theatre. This production not only had you on the edge of your seat but has you believing you are actually in the play. A number of times Brett points at the audience and confronts you, only to find that really he is talking to the neighbour. I am relieved that he didn't point at me, as I think I would have tried to hide!  A women sitting on the front row was clutching onto her husband the entire time and as Brett and his brother Glenn burst onto the stage to open the second half a woman screamed. You don't get audience reactions like these unless what you are seeing is totally believable and has you enthralled.  Apart from the play itself there are a number of other contributing factors. The set encompasses the whole theatre with corrugated iron walls and part of the front rows are used by the actors. The flyscreen door to the house is slammed shut every time an actor passes through and the eerie, violent sounding music all help to add to the tension felt in the theatre. 
This is the third production I have seen where Sam Strong has been the director, each of them has been excellent particularly the dialogue. He seems to be able to bring the best out of the actors and I am looking forward to seeing what he is directing next.
As you can tell I did love this play, it was flawless, but not only that, I liked it because it was so powerful, it didn't pussy foot around the topic, it was raw and challenging and the scary thing about it, is that there are people like The Boys among us in the world.

Interview with Sarah Giles, director of The Ugly One

Hear an amazing insight into The Ugly One. Sarah is an accomplished director, you will want to see this production after hearing this interview.

Click here to listen

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

The Ugly One by Marius Von Mayenburg

The production brought to the stage by An Arts Radar and Griffin Independent it is a Sydney premiere. This is the last production for the year at the SBW Stables Theatre in Darlinghurst. It was a good play to finish this year, it is funny, thought provoking but above all entertaining.
It is a challenging play with actors playing more than one character, without leaving the stage. The only way you could tell was by the actors body language and acting ability. I know that some reviews had said this was confusing and I agree there were times when I couldn't quite tell who was who. I have to say it wasn't until half way through the play that I realised that the plastic surgeon and Lette's boss were two different people, however, this might not be the productions or Jo Turner's fault this could have been me just being dumb!
What is it about? It is a simple storyline. A guy, Lette (Eden Falk) can't go to a conference to present his invention because he is too ugly. The trouble is that he didn't realise he was ugly. He decides to have plastic surgery, which goes very well, too well as now all the women and men love him. The plastic surgeon is over the moon and creates more like him. So things all get a bit out of hand. Though the story is simple the underlying questions are clear, how much would you sacrifice?  And how as humans have forgotten what is important in life?  The play might make you think twice if you are considering plastic surgery.
Gig Clarke creates the surgery with just a microphone and his voice, this is very funny and makes you cringe at the same time. The scene when Lette's wife tells him that he is ugly is also very funny, but a little sad at the same time. So yes, there are quite a few emotions you go through with this play.
I am looking forward to interviewing Sarah Giles the Director on Monday on our radio show The Hubbub. The interview will be posted on this blog next week.
The show plays until 17 December, so if you want to escape the Christmas cheer head to laughter instead with The Ugly One.

This Year's Ashes by Jane Bodie

This Year's Ashes is a funny play but has a underlying sadness.

There are rules in this city
Never bring them back to your place
Never more than three shags
Never tell them your real name
Never mention the cricket Never (ever) cry

Ellen (Belinda Bromillow) lives alone and generally is going through a difficult time. She isn't happy at work, she is drinking and sleeping with strangers.  Ellen spends most nights propping up bars, drinking alone to the point for numbness, so when she awakes in the morning she has no idea who is in the bed with her, nor does she care.
She returns home to her Elizabeth Bay flat to find her father who has been missing for a couple of years. It is the Ashes and he has returned to listen to it on the radio as they did it the past.
The scenes with her father are touching and sensitive bringing the past and present together.  Ellen gives him a comical speech about everything that she hates about Sydney. He (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) gives Ellen a run down of the out and in rules of cricket. This was very cleverly written and if Tony did make a mistake you would never know!  This is in contrast to the 'morning after' scenes which are very awkward, amusing and a little tense with Nathan Lovejoy. Nathan's part is very amusing, he is the typical bumbling man who knows what has happened and is slightly embarrassed. He would like her to stay and as she isn't talking he fills in the dead air with anything that falls out of his month. The scene with the pillow is hilarious!
At the end I left hoping that there is going to be a sequel. Though the play has a definite ending I want to know whether she gets her life back together and if she does how does she do it.  So, Jane can you please write a life after the Ashes?

News From Griffin Theatre

Win a bit of Griffin Theatre Company history...

With the theatre renovations underway this week, we are feeling nostalgic up here in the Griffin office. We invite you to post your favourite memory of the SBW Stables Theatre, be it your favourite show or perhaps from post-show drinks in the foyer. The memory that makes us laugh or cry the most will receive a copy of Wolf Lullaby by Hilary Bell.

Post your answers on our Facebook page (click the title) or send your answers to winners@griffintheatre.com.au.