The 'bourne Book: Tess Goes to the Theatre

So yesterday marked the beginning of a birthday gift that will just keep giving. Yep, from my darling Marty, for my 21^st, I received a 12 month subscription to Melbourne Theatre Company. Words don’t do justice to explain just how damn excited I was when the tickets arrived in the mail. Although the 50 missed calls on Marty’s phone might. Not a stalker. I was just trying to say thank you.

We were off to see Ray Lawler’s Australian classic Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Now I must admit that until I read MTC’s program for 2012 I hadn’t heard of this play, but I once I did, it popped up here there and everywhere. The Lawler Studio in the new MTC building,(of course) was named after this incredible playwright and his name was thrown around heaps in a documentary about the Australian accent (my life is awesome, right?). It was the play that put Australian theatre on the map, the first play in which we were unashamedly Australian, the first play that really put to use all of our unique jargon and culture. It is also a play about traditions and expectations, so I felt it a fitting beginning to my new tradition – a play a month, which will all, hopefully, live up to my expectations.

What you can expect dear reader, is for me to continue looking like a dick.

We headed into the Playhouse foyer, where its lush, red carpet and golden bannisters never cease to make me feel like I’m some place I shouldn’t be. That feeling continued as we descended into a sea of white hair and walking sticks. “I’m getting arthritis just being in this room”, quipped my dear theatre partner Marty. That kids, is the quote of the night. Which you can expect each time I write about the theatre. YAY a common thread through each of my pieces that will hopefully have you guys clambouring back for more!

You may have noticed my skin looks divine. Truth be told, I ‘shopped the hell out of myself because in the original I looked like I was upon death’s door. Well at least I fit in with the rest of the MTC audience…

I don’t want to write an entire review, as the play was three hours long (two intervals, strange) and had so many talking points that I’d put you all to sleep. But what really struck me were two things; the performances and the nostalgic Australiana.

Olive, played by Alison Whyte was an absolute stand out. Her emotional range was incredible and she played a character that was incredible nuanced, a woman whose both expectations and reality begin to crumble around her. She was an absolute joy to watch. Robyn Nevin plays Olive’s mother, Emma, a cynical, pragmatic old woman who often made the most sense out of the entire cast of characters. She was so wonderful because I think the entire audience found something to relate to in her. The audience was never quite sure what to think and that complexity (as well as her comedic timing) set the bar for the rest of the cast.

Up until this play was written in 1955, Australian vernacular was always passed over for Queen’s English and this is what made Seventeenth Doll so groundbreaking. The cast’s accents were right on cue- a faultless Australian drawl, although I found their emphasis (whether intentional or not) on certain Australian words, like “chockers”, “bloody” and “fair dinkum” perhaps a little condescending.

Another small criticism is that we never really find out the character’s intentions and motivations. We understand that the lifestyle they lead is important to them, that it shapes their decisions, but we never really see why it is so very important, and at the play’s climax, I was left feeling a little confused with some misplaced pathos.

Still, an absolute stand out production, and I left the theatre in high spirits, hungering after the next nine plays to come!

*** 1/2