This fastmoving, comical production showcases the immense talent of the younger, acting students in Curtin University’s Theatre Arts programme. It is presented at, and in conjunction with, the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, 1 Short Street, Fremantle, as part of the Fremantle Festival. The short season runs until Saturday 29^th October with the 90-minute performances at 7.30 pm.

It is an open stage without any cover or flats on the wings.

As the lights rise, a table and chairs are placed onto stage. A muslin screen appears centre stage; this acts as a backcloth, or as a translucent screen allowing shadowgraphs, or a ‘private look’ at action in another room. Production designer was Julie Reeves. Set design Olivia Dugandzic, and set construction and properties by Matt Arnold and Max Gipson

        Heidi (Kharla Fannon) is sitting at the dinner table with her mother (Ellen Dimitriou) and father (Alex Gerrans). They are a strange couple, who only talk to Heidi through marionettes that are dressed as they are (puppets by Jiri Barec). The parents announce that because they are going out for the evening, that Heidi should stay with the next-door neighbour – The Ogre (operated by Frazer Shepherdson). The Ogre is a strange, bunyip-like creature that has a long tail (designed by Zoë Atkinson, who constructed it with Jiri Zmitko).

        The Ogre is madly in love with Heidi, but he is constantly rejected. The babysitter opens an ancient book of tales and starts to read to Heidi. As piano plays softly in the background (Taisiya Payne), the stories become alive. An old miserable cook (Holly Mason) can be seen stirring her magic bowl in the kitchen. She produces three magical bread rolls (food puppets made by Bec Thorman and Helen Rice) that represent the King’s three daughters. The three daughters sang perfectly in A cappella. Their voices were clear and powerful, outstanding madrigal work (Song arranger Dylan Dorotich).

      The bad tempered and miserable Princess (Shanae Tuxford) demanded to be entertained and made to laugh. Anyone not succeeding was to be beheaded. A series of entertainers (Lizzie Howard, Chelsea Gibson, Caitlin McFeat) tried their best to make her smile, by forming life-sized puppets with lengths of tubing for the arms and legs and balloons for the head. Sadly, after several hundred attempts, the miserable regal child still did not smile.

      Will happiness ever come to the Royal Family and poor Ogre?

The joint directors were Curtin University theatre’s senior lecturer, Leah Mercer and Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s executive Philip Mitchell. Caitlin McFeat and Anna Lindstedt who aided in the dramaturg ably assisted them.  Mary Zimmerman cleverly employs unusual costumes and lighting to fashion the desired effect, here we have the extra gifts of the quality puppets.

This was a wonderful play to watch, filled with magic, terror, song and dance, but it must have been a complex play to present. It was stage managed by Paris Fields, who was assisted by Jack Bengough. Although there is plenty of humour, because of the dark themes and storylines, the ideal age for the audience is probably over 9 years.

The ghostly white costumes were created by Alicia Turner, Sally Davis and Ashleigh Ryan, with assistance of the construction sewing by Maddie Earle-Sadler, Cameron Norton and Bethan Walmsley. The complementary white make up was by Lauren Beeton and Ashleigh Ryan.

The atmosphere of the play relied heavily upon the clever technical effects (lighting designer Stephen Carr), the sound design by Sam Johnson and Julian Sewell (under the mentorship of the highly respected professional, Ben Collins) was superb, blending perfectly with the live music. Likewise, the lighting was vibrant and beautifully paced by Molly Earnshaw and Sam Ireland.

It is easy for a cast to think, ‘this is a children’s show, so we can get away with an average effort’. The truth is that you have to work twice as hard for youngsters; they can be your biggest critics. This show had tremendous pace, filled with athletic action – cartwheels, dancing – beautiful singing; in fact every acting talent was demanded of the performers, and as a terrific team, the cast gave their all to this vibrant production. Most professional and great fun.

‘Melancholy Play’ was Ruhl’s first major play; it premiered in 2002 and is now being presented for your immense pleasure by the Hayman Theatre Company, in building 102 on the Curtin University Campus in Bentley.

Performances are nightly at the early time of 7.00, and the season runs until Saturday 25^th April.

The set represents a couple of apartments in Perth, where the antique furniture is interchangeable as the action moves to and from each venue. The walls are a patchwork of many, quality wallpapers and the floor a higgledy-piggledy arrangement of carpets and rugs; both of these combinations reflecting the manic confusion of the characters’ minds and the situations in the play.

Clever well-made set by Eloise Carter, Annika Jane, Alex Roussel, Gema Seenarain, Michelle Endersbee, and Ashleigh Ryan with props supplied by Dicky Ng.

Karen Cook’s lighting subtle and selective design was smoothly operated by David O’Connor. Sound effects by Jack Beeson.

       Frank (Nathan Whitebrook), a bespoke tailor, addresses the audience through a window offering a defence of melancholy. As he speaks, Tilly (Zoe Street) a glamourous bank teller, then walks up to Frank and asks why he is an almond*. Frank is infatuated with her.

      Italian psychologist, Lorenzo (Kane Parker), explains to the audience the maternal history behind his lack of emotion. He turns to attend to his patient Tilly, who seems to live on the brink of an orgasm, and has the ability to take everyone she speaks with her, to the edge. Even a mundane conversation with Tilly leaves Lorenzo very much in love.

      Julia (Savannah Wood), who sits in the corner playing her own compositions on the cello, creating music for the various lovers in the story.

      Later that day Tilly is at the hairdresser, where the owner, Frances (Olivia Dugandzic) becomes obsessed with Tilly’s hair, asking her round to her flat to meet her reticent partner, a nurse called Joan (Daisy Grant). Soon, the jealousy begins to surface. Who, if anyone will win Tilly’s heart?

*In this play, the Amygdala, named in Greek after its almond shape, is the brain’s organ of emotion. In actual fact, the two Amygdalae appear like a pair of cherries on their stems, in the centre of the under surface of the brain – the most protected area of the brain. The right ‘almond’ produces fear and sadness, whereas the left creates happiness or anxiety.

This whole play was written very dryly, and with the fantastic cast directed by award winning Leah Mercer and her talented assistant, Ariel Tresham, the humour started almost instantly. Extra dramaturg provided by Kayla MacGillivray; with an uproarious fight sequence, co-ordinated by Philip Miolin. Lorenzo’s excellent accent was coached by Luzita Fereday.

The players have flawlessly captured the subtleness of the script, giving just that tiny bit of over-the-top delivery. The result was amazing. Every nuance of expression gave even more joy to the already captivated audience. Even at the peak of the pandemonium, the cast were resolute, only showing the desired melancholy or elation.

Please don’t think ‘only a few students struggling to produce an average show’, this is real quality. Great script, very good direction, a perfectly tuned-in cast working as a team. A fast moving, laugh out loud comedy. Treat yourselves to something very different.

This powerful Premiere is a Nest Ensemble and Blue Room presentation, in conjunction with Pride Festival. It can be seen nightly at 7.00, in The Blue Room Main Theatre, 53 James Street, Northbridge. The 60-minute shows are for one week only, running until Saturday 22^nd November. There is a 4.00 pm matinee performance on Saturday 22^nd November.

The stage is divided into three parts, a home dining room, an office, and a small ward in a private research hospital. The office is a mountain of psychology books. The ward has a Heath-Robinson, scruffy arrangement of pipes and wires, all held together with packing tape. This wonderful design was conceived by WAAPA trained Tessa Darcey, and built by Phil Miolin.

         In the late 1940s, the trophy bride (Margi Brown Ash) of a serviceman has a baby boy, Joey. Being a trophy bride, she is preoccupied with her appearance and so has little interest in the child – a ‘refrigerator’ mother. Very soon, she sees that the baby boy is not responding normally, and when she consults the local paediatrician, Dr Bruno Bettelheim (also Margi Brown Ash) who is a world-renowned child psychologist and personal friend of Sigmund Freud, he diagnoses that the child has autism. Doing what she thinks is the right thing for her boy; she hands over Joey to the doctor to be cured.

       Now, Joey is 9½ years old (Philip Miolin) and spending all of his day in his pyjamas. Having been brought up with machines and instruments all of his life, even when he pees a light tells him when he has finished, Joey wants to become a machine. His mother wants him back home.

      Now that Joey is in Dr Bettelheim’s institution, will he ever be cured and get out to a normal life?

Knowing that this is based on a true story – published in Scientific American in 1959 – watching this powerful, dramatic presentation left the audience gasping at the cruelty that was being allowed by the medical boards and health authorities only 50 years ago.

Singer Brenda Lee was known as ‘little miss dynamite’ but even her exuberance pales against the highly dynamic, diminutive (1.50 cms tall) Margi. Looking like Einstein on drugs, Margi has magnificent stage presence, filling every square inch of the stage as she brings to life the mad, obsessed scientist. With clever direction from Leah Mercer, we found ourselves being drawn into the misguided logic of the admired quack.

I have known Phil Miolin for more than a decade, but behind the special mask designed by Per Brahe, his display of nerves and quivering uncontrollably, he was unrecognisable.

Karen Cook, the lighting designer, has put a great deal of thought into the illumination. The home is warm and soft lighting. The child’s ward is cold blue lighting, with several scenes lit by small spotlights on Joey’s helmet. Sound designer, Joe Lui, took us from soft music to the full 100 decibels, in stereo, of a plane taking off. Joe always gives that little extra. The completely mad experience being handled by stage manager, Jessica Harlond-Kenny.

The unpredictability of the situations and the fast pace of the delivery – much of the hour was an impeccable monologue from Margi – kept the audience enthralled. There are plays that are simply disturbing but admirable, but this was something very special. Masterly performances, a tight script, and a wonderful production.

A very short season, so try to catch a performance or regret missing the show.