Away

 ‘Away’, the multi-award winning play by Australian playwright Michael Gow is often used as a TEE school set-book. For a time, Michael was CEO with the Queensland Theatre Company. This two hour play is showing at The Old Mill Theatre, Corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth at 8.00 pm until Saturday 21^st August, with a Sunday Matinee at 2.00 pm on the 15^th..

          It is Christmas 1967 and the school production of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ is drawing to a close. The headmaster (Jeff Hansen) thanks the players and the parents, before they start on their journeys home. Pale, tense Tom (Joel Horwood), who had just played Puck, is walking home with the light in his life, shy Meg (Sarah Lumsden). Tom’s parents (Phil Lord, Laila Gampfer) proudly rush over to congratulate him on his performance. Whereas later, when Meg’s parents catch up with the group, her toffee-nosed, whinging mother, Gwen (Jayma Knudson) instead of praising her daughter’s performance, says the play was ‘a disgrace and that it should have been a musical’. Meg’s poor downtrodden father, Jim (Peter Bloor), tries to pacify the angry mother without success.

          The four parents are talking about their approaching summer holidays, when Gwen derides Tom’s parents for only having a mere camping holiday, whilst her family would be in a caravan with all facilities.

          The headmaster and his ‘rat-bag’ wife, Coral (Maree Grayden - excellent) pass the group; she is a strangely quiet, emotionless woman who ignores any approach that people make to start a conversation. During their holiday stay in a luxury hotel, on her husband insistence, Coral goes out of her way to approach people in an attempt to overcome her strange introversion. Her first victim, Leonie (Lisa Johnston), is petrified by the manner of this strange woman, however Coral has more success with a much younger man (Skyler Ellis).

Suddenly, a violent storm whips along the coast where the holidaymakers are staying, throwing the antagonistic families together.

We see how the three very different families, all tackle the major conflicts in their lives. The three diverse storylines, built around two or three well-known Shakespeare themes, are beautifully written and intertwined by Michael Gow. I read that until the play was performed in the USA, many Americans did not realise that Australia had even been involved in the Vietnam War. Although the story has plenty of tragedy and melancholy, there is still a great deal of humour and hope.

This play has probably been produced more than any other Australian dramatic piece, so director Vanessa Jensen was faced with a great deal of competition. Even with a very large cast to handle, the result was superb. Very well thought out, well directed and with an extremely strong cast, the major players were all outstanding - capturing and portraying the characters perfectly. The cast had strong bonding and empathy. They conveyed the very demanding emotions with conviction. The several other bit players were all admirable.

A simple, yet very effective, all white set that with the swinging into position of colourfully decorated half-flats, changed the situation credibly. The amazing costumes (Merri Ford) were sincere to the period, I could only cringe at the wide lapels and safari suit. Bree O’Hehir’s set changes were swift. The lighting effects and soundscape, thanks to Lars Jensen, Lewis Johnson, Glen Lewis and Phil Barnett, was well above average.

This is a wonderful community production of a brilliant play. Congratulations to all concerned.

Gordon the Optom