The Club

Relatively speaking, Roleystone is quite a hike away from Fremantle, but the trip was worth it to check out their recent rendition of this Aussie 'classic'. Having used that word, I am aware that I may well attract the opprobrium of those who claim that it is royally reserved for the likes of Shakespeare, Dickens and perhaps Wilde, but hardly that Williamson larrikin. To them I would say that if they were to refer to any reputable history of theatre in Australia, they would find that not much happened before about 1960 and David W is generally regarded as 'canonised'. That of course puts an added burden on those who seek to evoke their own eisegesis of such a piece. As the pre-publicity forewarned, the story is about a struggling Aussie Rules football club, a coach facing the sack for lack of a premiership, a high-priced recruit who indulges in recreational drug-taking and an administrator with an eye for the financial bottom line ahead of the human cost. The play itself is nearly 40 years old, but the relevance to the present day is undeniable and the retelling is timely. More than mere topicality and 'footy' however, this narrative contains a profound insight into the 'politics' of clubs - where a disparate bunch of individuals find themselves drawn together by their shared passion for whatever it is -it could be pigeon-racing for that matter- all the while struggling to achieve their own agendae. It is fertile ground for a director and actors looking for the more subtle messages in the text and, despite the forthright and robust exchanges, the characters. This Roleystone succeeded in doing in an amusing, engaging and entertaining way. Sound, light and set design were all well executed. FOH (especially the bar) were as welcoming as ever.