Australian Realness, Malthouse Theatre, Merlyn Theatre, Saturday September 7th 2019

Australian Realness, Malthouse Theatre, Merlyn Theatre, Saturday September 7th 2019

"Australian Realness" was presented by the Malthouse Theatre at their Merlyn Theatre on Saturday September 7th 2019

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

The 2019 Malthouse Theatre Season included the production, “Australian Realness” by Zoey Dawson and made us wanting a refund for the 2020 Season that we have just purchased. This show is a philosophical presentation of class, the arts and society.

“Australian Realness” made me question how this show even got past a reading, let alone into a full production. This play is so confused in its style of theatre making and messages it is trying to convey.

If you read the blurb by Zoey Dawson in the programme you will understand what I mean. 

Whilst waiting for the show to begin, I studied the set. The vastness of the set alerted me that something was going to happen with the set as there was a cavernous void at the top of the set. I suspected correctly that the set would deconstruct.

It is a confused work as the initial contract with the audience is broken to then become a soap opera type nightmare with characters from the shed invading the family home. But what makes it confusing is the inconsistency in lighting for each of the Hogan characters.

The play tries to be too many things and is in desperate need of pruning and clarification.

The performances vary from cringe worthy amateur to slick and polished characterisations.

In the Malthouse Theatre advertising for the show, the family wear red and white Christmas jumpers that reminded me of the Aldi Christmas campaign 2016 where the family all sing Christmas Carols. Sadly the advertised pictures of this show were not used, nor lived up to the marketing hype.

Performances varied in quality. Four of the five actors played more than one part and some made clear distinctions between their characterisations.  Linda Cropper clearly differentiated each character as mum; and then as Kerry Hogan, the squatter from the shed, and then the art broker/critic. Linda Cropper’s walk as the art critic/broker with her very quiet voice was sheer theatrical brilliant.

Greg Stone made a clear distinction with his dad role and then Gary Hogan.

The son played by Andre de Vanny was cringe worthy mainly for the block shape of the radio mike battery in his underwear. The audience were not concentrating on his performance but at the awful costume. His characters were not distinctive enough in vocal or physical attributes, but at least the costumes made the distinction.

Emily Goddard as the pregnant daughter was the main protagonist and created the main perspective, as the show was both her reality and her nightmare.

It was more the audience’s nightmare at enduring such a middle High School standard of writing.

Set and Costume Design by Romanie Harper created a television situation-comedy style set that pulled apart. The costumes created instantly recognisable cliched cartoon-esque characters. It was a family of the Village People.

Sound Design and Composition by James Paul created a variety of sounds from realistic sound effects to moody music. This too did not help create a coherent journey.

Lighting Design by Amelia Lever-Davidson created different atmospheres, but completely lost the audience at the first major lighting change with Kerry’s entrance. Was this a situation comedy for television? Was it a dream? The lighting plot did not follow the same contract with the audience in establishing clear parameters of what was happening. When the Hogan’s son appears doing a strip the lights black out to the front of stage lighting. When Gary Hogan appears the lighting again does not create that contract established in the entrance of Kerry Hogan. The lighting plot lacked clarity of purpose and vision. It did not articulate when we were in dream mode as clearly as many other shows that I have seen. In other words, the lighting design helped create a confusing piece of theatre.

I did like the stark lighting for when the man (Andre de Vanny) was setting up the art installation. This starkness at least commanded our attention to make us question whether this was reality or fantasy.

The penultimate section with the video sequence reminded me of “Titus Andronicus” at the 1993 Melbourne International Festival  with the van driving out of the theatre. We were taken out of our reality of the theatre into a new reality.  (Note the name of the festival changes between about four names including Melbourne International Arts Festival.  It was just the Melbourne International Festival in 1993!)

The supposed live video shows rubbish piled up with a woman burning page-by-page a copy of “Cloudstreet” by Tim Winton. There were a a couple of references here as “Cloudstreet” had been performed earlier this year as part of the Malthouse 2019 Season, and also the link to the new reality of the homeless.   The daughter realises that this woman was the subject of her photograph. The daughter finds a new reality in understanding what happened to this woman.

The final scene of the house redecorated with an empty set, and the family miming sitting down to dinner with no furniture had us question reality.

Overall, the departments seemed to have worked in isolation rather than in harmony to create a confused work.  Janice Meuller, the Director needed to ensure everything worked to create a memorable work rather than a confusing piece not worth debating.

Never complain about “King Kong” doing 322 performances and 22 previews on Broadway. This show would be lucky to run a week on Broadway - if any producer (of even a not-for-profit company) would allow it to be produced there.

We both gave this a 5/10.