Tribes by Nina Raine

Hey blogettes,

On my continuing journey down the rabbit hole that is the Melbourne theatre scene I found myself seated next to a man that smelt decidedly like mothballs in MTC's gorgeous Sumner Theatre.

Shaking off the urge to douse the man in my glass of red wine (vinegar vs mothballs, I think vinegar wins...just. Although I did have to deal with the smell of souring wine on my 14 hour plane ride to Abu Dhabi last September, but that is a story for another time!) I settled in for the production of "Tribes".

As the lights came up we were confronted with an open plan set, a kitchen table, a couch, a fridge. There were also building materials scattered upstage, witches hats and temporary fencing, giving off the idea that perhaps this family was not as complete as the characters would have us believe.

The tribe is an intellectual, bourgeois family, showing their love through argument, rationality and writing. Their arguments revolve around language and its inadequacies, fitting considering they have a deaf son, Billy. Billy has been raised to be "hearing", that is, not taught sign language, but to lip read and speak, out of the fear that his identity would revolve around his deafness.

The first act was strong, and the writing so witty, one line has been deemed my quote of the night. The patriarch of the family, played by Brian Lipson, declares that listening to a Northern speak is like, "Being fucked in the face by a crab!". For it to be funny, you need to imagine a 60 year old Russell Brandt delivering the line. Gold.

Although conflict defines this family, almost to the point of melodrama, the turning point in the play comes when Billy meets Sylvia. She, unlike Billy, was born into a deaf family, and is now, courtesy of a hereditary condition, going deaf herself. Sylvia guides Billy into the deaf community and it is here he finds his voice.

The metaphors are stretched very thin in Nina Raine's second production. Billy's sister, whose name escapes me, is a fledgling opera singer and their older brother, Dan, is slipping into psychosis, the type where auditory hallucinations are involved. Billy's empathetic mother is in the midst of developing a detective novel. Cool, we get it, everyone has a voice, but of course we want them to shut up when it's being broadcast at 8006043 decibels.

The second act unravelled so quickly, so many life changing events happen to our characters and we're going from one situation to the next without being able to process the outcomes or consequences. And neither can our characters, and at this point the performance began to lose authenticity. The heart felt scenes between Sylvia and Billy, where they combine sign and vocals to communicate were beautiful, and the usage of onstage screens to act as "translators" added humour. The climactic scene in which Billy confronts his family was also beautiful. Alison Bell, as Sylvia, delivers a performance so nuanced, so heart breaking and so genuine that she saved the second act for me. 

Tribes was more relevant to me than Summer of the Seventeeth Doll and I did enjoy the cracking dialogue. I feel that if the script was refined a little more, with elements being removed (the unnecessary moving stage that added nothing...), this play could be a real ripper.

***1/2

Sylvia and Billy

The three siblings

MTC Promotional Image

All images are owned wholly by MTC

Tess Goes to the Theatre - Round 1

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 

Trying to be artistic...

I mean, it's no Eiffel Tower

Crazy ass Japanese band that we saw after show that had the entire audience shouting, 'SAKE! SAKE!"

Did  I mention they were playing in front of a tram that had been converted in a bar. Cue, "SAAAHH Melbourne"

Wank.

More wank.

Marty's face after I asked him to take a photo with the tickets. "You are such a dag".

WELCOME TO THE 'BOURNE BOOK!

We trust that your day is going well!

We are four girls (l-r: Tessa, Julia, Chiara and Kirstie) from the north western suburbs of Melbourne. We are starting this (Mel)'bourne Book as a way of sharing our experiences with the wider community. You can expect posts about tea (LOTS of posts about tea), op shopping, gigs and shows, pop culture, recipes and anything else that pops into our strange little minds.

We all attended high school together, but since graduating in 2008, our friendships have flourished and grown. Each of us has different interests and aspirations, but these differences serve only to bring us closer. Learning from each other, we are able to achieve a more holistic view of ourselves and the world. And yes, we realize that sounds incredible corny, but we can't help what's true!

Below, you'll find what to expect on this blog from each of us...

TESSA

Hey guys! What's up? From me, you'll find obscure snippets of pop culture, me flogging my latest photoshoot, and essays on anything from tattoos to biology. And tea.

 KIRSTIE

 

Greetings! I'll be posting a random assortment of things that interests me, inspires me or makes me giggle. Expect 'dear diary' entries, bizarre news topics, cool adverts and more! And tea.

JULIA

Hello sunshine! My contribution will be based around fitness, healthy eating, car troubles and 'cultural' food mixed with a healthy dose of wonderlust and excitement. And tea.

CHIARA

Just quietly guys, my posts are going to be about food, baking (both the sun and oven type), my Suzuki Swift and anything drama related. And tea.