The Turning
Sat, 23 Feb 2008, 11:20 amGordon the Optom1 post in thread
The Turning
Sat, 23 Feb 2008, 11:20 amWinton has donated the Royalties from this production to the defence of the environment.
Having just sprinkled their daughter’s ashes into the Indian Ocean, Bob (Steve Turner) and Carol (Samantha Murray) decide to go away with Bob’s relatives to Lancelin for a camping break. The Lang family are a strange mixture. Bob is a conscientious policeman, but drinks too much. His brother Ernie (Reg Cribb), the apple of his true-blue mother’s eye (Caroline McKenzie) has, along with his ‘slut’ wife (Michelle Fornasier), one interest in life – sex, often and anywhere.
Bob’s young son Vic (Nick Simpson-Deeks) meets the first love of his life whilst walking on the beach (Pia Prendiville). They return to life in Angelus, a fictitious whaling town in WA. This quiet little outpost, where everyone knows everyone, changes almost overnight when ‘the Demons’ come to town. Families are split, friendships ruined. Angelus will never be the same again.
Twenty years later, we meet the characters and find how their lives have changed. Friends have come and gone, but ‘Slack’ Jackie (Alison van Reeken) and ‘Boner’ McPharlin (Jai Courtney) are still around. Vic’s life has moved on, but can he cope? Or is he still living in the past?
Winton’s books are beautifully written, and a renowned for capturing in words the barren and stark nature of WA’s landscape along with the depth of the characters of those living there. Transferring any of his works from paper to stage is therefore a challenge. Jon Green’s wonderful photography and the multi-screen projection, combined with Kingsley Reeves’ bush sounds, quickly and successfully transferred the audience from one venue to another.
On one occasion, a soliloquy was turned into dialogue and didn’t quite work as well as it would to the reader from the written page, but this is minor in such a rich play.
The sets were imaginative but simple (Sam Hobbs), with selective and clever lighting (Joseph Mercurio), this allowed Anna Dymitr Hawkes’ highly efficient team to carry out the many scene changes in seconds.
Director Steve Jodrell and assistant director Mel Cantwell have done a sterling job. Not only did the cast get the feel of the multiple characters that they had to portray, they WERE those people. The mannerisms, verbal expressions and body language were all there, giving a large range of very believable characters.
Success in the theatre is arousing the viewer’s emotions, in this play one winced with horror, had a hearty laugh and at one point in the second act, there couldn’t have been a dry eye in the house.
At 150 minutes this slick, well planned production was longer than normal, but one’s interest was held both with the intricate story and the well observed characters. If you are short of money and only go to the theatre occasionally, then this is the show to go to for a treat. The audience were one of the most appreciative that I have seen for some time. Magnificent show.
Winton has donated the Royalties from this production to the defence of the environment.
Having just sprinkled their daughter’s ashes into the Indian Ocean, Bob (Steve Turner) and Carol (Samantha Murray) decide to go away with Bob’s relatives to Lancelin for a camping break. The Lang family are a strange mixture. Bob is a conscientious policeman, but drinks too much. His brother Ernie (Reg Cribb), the apple of his true-blue mother’s eye (Caroline McKenzie) has, along with his ‘slut’ wife (Michelle Fornasier), one interest in life – sex, often and anywhere.
Bob’s young son Vic (Nick Simpson-Deeks) meets the first love of his life whilst walking on the beach (Pia Prendiville). They return to life in Angelus, a fictitious whaling town in WA. This quiet little outpost, where everyone knows everyone, changes almost overnight when ‘the Demons’ come to town. Families are split, friendships ruined. Angelus will never be the same again.
Twenty years later, we meet the characters and find how their lives have changed. Friends have come and gone, but ‘Slack’ Jackie (Alison van Reeken) and ‘Boner’ McPharlin (Jai Courtney) are still around. Vic’s life has moved on, but can he cope? Or is he still living in the past?
Winton’s books are beautifully written, and a renowned for capturing in words the barren and stark nature of WA’s landscape along with the depth of the characters of those living there. Transferring any of his works from paper to stage is therefore a challenge. Jon Green’s wonderful photography and the multi-screen projection, combined with Kingsley Reeves’ bush sounds, quickly and successfully transferred the audience from one venue to another.
On one occasion, a soliloquy was turned into dialogue and didn’t quite work as well as it would to the reader from the written page, but this is minor in such a rich play.
The sets were imaginative but simple (Sam Hobbs), with selective and clever lighting (Joseph Mercurio), this allowed Anna Dymitr Hawkes’ highly efficient team to carry out the many scene changes in seconds.
Director Steve Jodrell and assistant director Mel Cantwell have done a sterling job. Not only did the cast get the feel of the multiple characters that they had to portray, they WERE those people. The mannerisms, verbal expressions and body language were all there, giving a large range of very believable characters.
Success in the theatre is arousing the viewer’s emotions, in this play one winced with horror, had a hearty laugh and at one point in the second act, there couldn’t have been a dry eye in the house.
At 150 minutes this slick, well planned production was longer than normal, but one’s interest was held both with the intricate story and the well observed characters. If you are short of money and only go to the theatre occasionally, then this is the show to go to for a treat. The audience were one of the most appreciative that I have seen for some time. Magnificent show.