The Boys

As Gordon's review stipulates, The Boys’ was written by Perth playwright, Gordon Graham, at the age of 42. This is significant because he is clearly writing about boys, despite being middle aged, meaning he must be a very good writer. A quick google search reveals that Gordon is also an American journalist and research consultant. A very talented man indeed. Gordon (the Optom) said that the boys is autobiographical, which worries me deeply as this play is based on the Anita Cobby case. Do not look this up, especially if you are eating any meat-based products. I think Gordon (the playwright) has a lot to answer for. I might just call the DPP now. The play won an Australian Writers' Guild award in 1992, which means he must have paid his fees for that year and that there were no spelling errors in the copy submitted for adjudication. It is presented by the Old Mill Theatre, Mends Street, South Perth playing nightly at 8pm, until 20th February, with a 2.00 pm matinee. So, what did I think about my night out to the theatre? Well firstly, I went to the Irish Club for pie and pint night (only $15), which I thought was extremely good value. Then I went and had a hot fudge sundae. After buying my tickets, I sipped on a bottle of little creatures that was somewhat lukewarm. Overall, a very mixed start to the evening. Now, I must give a disclaimer. I don't watch plays like everyone else watches plays and therefore my review may be somewhat different. As someone who trained with Lee Strasberg in the early 50s, it is both a blessing and a curse to watch other productions. What I wouldn't give to have been trained by Hayman theatre, like the rest of Perth's poor, unfortunate mob. Any negative comments I make relate directly to the performance of the night from an actor's perspective. I don't want to offend any of the actors. So, what are my thoughts about this play? Well, far be it for me to judge, but I am pretty sure I have seen a lot of the props in previous Old Mill productions. Was that table set used in Street Car? I know that the outdoor set was exactly the same one from the Sum of Us. I half expected the brothers to start making out - NOW THAT IS A PLAY PEOPLE! Also, why did the director insist on using that annoying music from her production of Trainspotting so frequently? It was like "here's a dramatic moment, whack on that crappy track". Cutting straight to the point, whilst being brutually honest ... a hard thing to do ... I think the acting and the show was alright. However, Julian Hern's perm really stole the show. Congratulations Julia. I couldn't stop looking at it.