Age an issue in choice of play
The Rep College: Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, at New Greenham Arts,
on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10
Time passes: people change; circumstances change. Relationships change, and
accepting these changes is part of growing up. In Ray Lawler's play, cane
cutters Barney and Roo return to Melbourne for five months in the summer
after seven months working in the North, as they have done for the last
sixteen years. They have been the summer-time lovers of Olive and her friend
Nancy, but this year Nancy has got married and Pearl is there to take over
her role and, if all goes well, to team up with Barney.
But this summer, it doesn't work. The magic of the previous years has gone,
and Olive can't come to terms with it.
There were strong performances from the four main actors. Lucia
Barber, as Olive, was vivacious as she anticipated the return of the men,
turning to disillusionment as time wore on. Laura Hickinson was the uptight
Pearl, the newcomer who didn't really fit in. Tom Williams and Dan Creasey,
as Barney and Roo, worked well together as their blokeish matiness buckled
under the strains of recent events.
Layal Alsabaa gave a very natural performance as Bubba, the young woman
somewhat in awe of her more experienced friends. Lulu Miller was
unremittingly fierce as Emma, the mother, only showing her gentler side at
the end, but she brought some humour to the play. Robin March was a macho
Johnnie Dowd, at odds with Roo.
Written over 50 years ago, this is one of the most important plays in the
history of Australian theatre. But was it a good choice for The Rep College?
All except one of the characters were 40 or older; by its nature The Rep
College has actors who are about 20 years old. This doesn't necessarily
matter, but I felt in this case that it did. Important to the plot is that
Olive, an older woman, has aspects of her character that are stuck in
childish behaviour, and for me this didn’t work with such a young actor.
Jack Lovegrove and David Tudor directed the versatile and talented cast,
bringing us a play that is not often seen in this country.
PAUL SHAVE
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