A few years ago, Fremantle’s Deckchair Theatre presented Bell’s heartrending play, ‘Memmie Le Blanc’, again about a child growing up in tragic circumstances.

Despite being in the upper echelon of writers, Hilary is often described as generous and affable to community theatre. When one of the Old Mill actors took the expression ‘break a leg’ a little too far and damaged her knee, Hilary permitted modifications to the script to allow for the actor to use crutches, kindly stating that her scripts are ‘road maps awaiting life, rather than definitive’.

This confronting 105-minute presentation was based on an American girl, but it could just as easily have been based on James Bulger, murdered in the UK just before his third birthday.

This is the Old Mill Theatre Company’s latest production, with curtain-up in the Old Mill Theatre, Mends Street, South Perth at 8.00 pm each Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 15^th August, with a 2.00 pm matinee on Sunday 9^th August.

The simple set represents several locations. The hard flats, painted matte black (design Alide Chaney, Dylan James and built by Phil Barnett, Travis McCurry and Tim Prosser), provide the harsh atmosphere required. A large cut-out of a child’s rocking horse (Tim Prosser) filled the back wall, a constant reminder of poor Toby, the murdered child.

Other than a couple of chairs, the stark set comprised mainly of a Rubik’s box, which was slickly converted into a bed, wall and desk (Alan Markham’s ingenious work) by stage manager, Caroline Kaye.

John Woolrych’s clever lighting design (operator Alan O’Neill) has most of the set warmly lit, but with a steely cold beam of light on Lizzie.

The horrifying soundscape (designed Alide Chaney, Dylan James) was operated by Elizabeth McAskill.

 

         The scene is of a typical sitting room in a remote Tasmanian home, a couple of weeks before Christmas. Nine-year-old Lizzie (Tessa Bevilacqua) is lying on the floor, drawing a picture and writing poetry. She eagerly shows her creation to her father, Warren (Dylan James) who nods, but he is busy having an acrimonious discussion with his ex-wife, Angie (Julia Hern). Lizzie, desperately seeking admiration for her artwork, then tries – unsuccessfully – to attract her mother’s attention. Lizzie’s little world is a lonely one, filled with nightmares.

       A few days later, a two-year-old boy, Toby is found dead. Circumstances point to Lizzie. A visit from the caring police sergeant, Ray Armstrong (Dean McAskill), who is investigating the tragedy, throws doubt on Lizzie’s story, but is the poor child being wrongly accused?

The skilful writing and good solid direction (director Alide Chaney) creates some truly disquieting moments, as the cold attitude of the parents absorbed in their own petty squabbles, clash with the love seeking troubled child. The whole cast gave superb performances, packed with poignant, tear-jerking emotion. You could feel the audience desperately hoping that Lizzie would open up so that the truth could be released.

Tessa, in her first adult stage performance, has captured Lizzie’s innocent and withdrawn expressions perfectly – you really wanted to give the poor girl a big, desperately needed hug. The powerful deliveries by Julia and Dylan made you gasp at their disinterest in their child, and the subsequent confusion between loyalty and honesty.

The director has chosen a subtle delivery, which makes the disturbing atmosphere even more insidious and disturbing. A creepy and chilling play, presented by a first class team.

With adult themes the advice is ‘Not suitable for children under 15’, so not surprisingly the adjective ‘enjoyable’ is hardly suitable, but certainly this play is most admirable and highly recommended.

The two and a half hour performances can be seen at the heritage-listed, Old Mill Theatre on the corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth (opposite the Windsor Hotel and Australia Post). This is the third of the all-Australian plays being presented by the Old Mill Theatre Group to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli landing in 2015.

The performances are at 8.00 pm on a Thursday Friday and Saturday nights until 20^th June, with a 2.00 pm matinee Sunday 14^th June.

The play is set in Emma’s home in Carlton, Victoria during the summer of 1953. The scene is a typical working class house, clean but basic. There is a table and four chairs centre stage, a twin settee, patio windows with a garden outside and stage right, a staircase leading to the bedrooms (Props Emma Ketley). The walls are the popular post-war colour – dove grey, the floor is mottled linoleum. The set was built and decorated by Trevor Dhu, Tim Prosser, Sarah Christiner, Patrick Whitelaw, and Rex Gray.

Jenny Prosser and Diane Zaikos perfectly captured the era with the button up the front dresses and the floral, semi-flare frocks for the young ones. 

         Olive (Anna Head), who is in her early thirties, still lives at home with her powerful, controlling but loving mother, Emma Leech (Shirley Toohey). The mother is awaiting the annual return of her two lodgers, Barney (Jarrod Buttery) and Roo (Phil Barnett), a couple of rough, but kind, sugarcane cutters who work all winter and return to Melbourne for five months at the end of the harvesting season. They have done this for years; this will be their 17^th summer at Mrs Leech’s house. This year, Barney’s regular girl, Nancy will not be there for him.

       Olive, who can barely contain herself at the thought of seeing Roo again, is sitting on the settee chatting to her haughty, smartly dressed friend, Pearl (Jennifer McGrath). Olive has arranged a blind date for recently widowed Pearl, with larrikin Barney; however, in fear, narrow-minded Pearl is close to backing out. Bubba (Jesse McGinn), the twenty-two year old Woolies shop girl, who has lived next-door all of her life, listens on in wonder.

       When the lads arrive, Roo presents Olive with yet another kewpie doll, confirming his love for her. This year, instead of being flush with money to fritter on his beloved Olive, Roo is broke. To make things worse, he is depressed because another cane cutter, Johnnie Dowd (Patrick Whitelaw), may be after his job.

       This summer is going to be very different to those of the past.

Director, Trevor Dhu, has proved over the years what a most capable and talented director he is; rarely does he tackle something simple such as a comedy, preferring to go for a complex character study or a highly dramatic script.

This Classic is capable of being ‘acceptable’ with very little input from cast or director, but when you see it performed by such a highly skilled, amateur team, their result could be acceptable in any professional theatre.

The story requires the cast to change from being jovial friends, to a situation of harsh tension and tragedy. The cast has to bare the raw souls of their characters, and in today’s climate, it was truly disturbing to see the sexism and domestic violence, along with the extreme depression and tension caused by financial problems only a couple of generations ago. Trevor has guided his exceptional cast to give wonderfully powerful performances. Andy Fraser’s leadership with the confrontational scenes ensured the cast made the audience squirm in their seats. Exceptional performances by Shirley Toohey and Anna Head.

Sadly, the lighting left me a little disappointed and confused. A New Year firework display could have shown more imagination and had better sound effects. Then, when the drama was reaching a climax, the dining room lights suddenly went out, and the actors were picked out by a spotlight. A few sentences later, the lights came swiftly back up. The couple moved across the room, and the lights rapidly dimmed, leaving the actors off their mark for the next spotlight. Once again, the lights shot back on. No subtlety. Sorry, it ruined the crucial flow. A very slow fade in and out might have worked, but the actors must hit their mark accurately, as though in a TV production. I understand that this lighting design has now been modified.

The play finished with no curtain call, an unusual choice to make, but one that seemed to work well, as the traumatic tension of the play could have been extinguished in seconds by a smiling line up.

Gee, the community theatre standard is magnificent this year. Certainly another treasure to seek out. Many congratulations.

Irish born, university lecturer Noel has a real penchant for writing deeply moving plays, but it is the comedies for which he is mainly known, and this is one of his funniest. Noel is now destined never to pass through the Pearly Gates.

The two-hour production by the Old Mill Theatre Company can be seen at the Old Mill Theatre, on the corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth. There are shows at 8.00 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings until the 24^th April. There is also a Sunday matinee on the 19^th.

The scene is Father Costello’s office in a WA convent. The walls are limestone block – another impressive piece of theatre artwork from Tim Prosser and his construction partner, Phil Barnett. To the right of the stage is an area that acts as part of the office, then as a courtyard garden.

Ben Davis’s fine lighting design was operated by BioBox tech John Spurling.

 

        Sister Abbott (Caroline McDonnell – hilarious) sips at another glass of communion wine, as she tries to do some bookwork in the convent’s office. Across the room, Sister Marilyn (Julia Trefeli) takes another pathetic swipe at some balls of tissue with the golf putter she has pinched from Father Costello (Noel O’Neill – brilliant). Meanwhile, Sister Francis (Vivienne Marshall) is having severe doubts about her commitment to the Lord and the convent, especially when her Mother Superior (Norma Davis) thinks she is Julie Andrews in the ‘Sound of Music’.

        The housemaid (Dale James) has just topped up the drinks trolley, when Father Costello returns from his round of golf – half drunk. The Father seems to have no qualms about working his way through the many sins mentioned in the Bible. The trendy nun, Sister Vinnie, who has red trainers and a gold chain around her neck, reminiscent of TV’s Mr T, announces that the Archbishop (Rex Gray) has arrived with bad news. The convent is in a dire financial state and must be closed. However, an incident with the new shy and very nervous nun, Sister Rosa (Jesse McGinn – superb), might save the day.

 

Noel has gathered a very strong team together. Dry, subtle humour can be a little difficult for some actors to perform, but in this show they all worked together beautifully, and the laughs just kept coming. With the perfect costumes by Jenny Prosser, Claire Wynne and Cathy Puzey, it was hard to believe that you were not a fly on the wall of a real convent.

In the past, when Noel is acting as well as directing, he has been known to miss the odd line of dialogue, giving the impression he was still supervising the directing instead of concentrating upon his own part. Here Noel knows he has a talented cast, with great characters, and he just went for it. Slightly over the top, he really milked every line. Exceptionally funny.

This is certainly a hilarious play, definitely worth going out on a wet winter’s night to see. Highly recommended.

The Saturday, 7^th February’s performance is being devoted to the Kenyan charity, Nakuru Hope‘s (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) Gabriel’s Orphanage which, although it opened only 3 months ago, is already full with abandoned and orphaned children, along with many rape and assault victims. The orphanage is generally well equipped, but still has no proper drinking water.

This quality production can be seen at the Old Mill Theatre, corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road in South Perth. The two and a half hour shows are nightly at 8.00 pm until Saturday 21^st February. There is one matinee on Sunday 15^th.

The curtains open to reveal another excellent set. Designed by Adam Salathiel and built by Adam, Ben Davis and Tim Prosser it is of an old fashioned, Perth sitting room at Christmas 1987.

The walls are regency striped wallpaper, and a couple of oak Welsh dressers further adorn the surrounds. A decorated Christmas tree stands in front of the window. The view from the window was extremely realistic (yet another Tim Prosser masterpiece) and at one stage in the play, there was even a downpour of rain against the window.

In the second Act, all of the walls were decorated a trendier, light rust colour; the flock settee replaced with a buttoned leather couch. How did every wall change colour? This must have been a massive task for stage managers Cally Zanik and Daniel Madgwick.

The sound and lighting design were by Kath Carney (the well known spelling mistake – ‘in’ joke). Graeme Johnson helped with the setup, rigging and operated the sound. Kath’s lighting was outstanding; with soft illumination generally and the occasional dramatic spotlight or beam of early morning sun streaming through the gap between the curtains.

       We join a family Christmas reunion, and the spirit of Christmas is definitely missing. Pedantic perfectionist, Monica (Danni Close) is whinging about all of the extra work that she has to do, looking after her elderly Grandmother, Emma (Beryl Francis), although no one has actually asked her to do it.

       Next to an armchair, where her easygoing, non-house-proud, slightly supercilious sister, Alex (Hayley Currie, giving a very strong first acting performance) has been sitting, Monica spots a coffee stain on the carpet. In seconds, Monica has her rubber gloves on and is down scrubbing.

       Auntie Pat (Tracy Bolton) enters the room and catches the end of Alex’s ‘phone call. Pat drags from Alex that whilst living in Melbourne, she has moved into a flat with a divorced doctor. For the sake of all concerned – and Christmas spirit, Pat begs Alex not to tell her matriarchal mother, Sylvia (Judi Johnson) who seems to have quite a few chips on her shoulder, permanently.

       We can see the love and appreciation in the group; their problems with their miserable husbands, and how the years have seen them drift apart. Each one seems to be heading for disaster; however, will the strength of their blood ties hold them together?

Why let a sensitive sitting dog lie when things NEED to be discussed and pointed out? Forget sensitivities or family bonds; just let the feelings flow forth. Do these relatives REALLY want to bring about an equitable agreement?

Not surprisingly, the dedication of the cast is reflected in the distance that they have had to travel, and with some of the cast coming from Mandurah for rehearsals and shows. This demonstrates their enthusiasm and the faith that they have in the well-respected director, Adam Salathiel. Adam, who often goes under the nickname Mut Ley, is a building surveyor by day and thespian by night. The whole cast have years of experience and it shows in the wonderful chemistry between the actors.

Christmas dinner and the ‘relaxation period’ afterwards can be one of the most stressful periods of the year, and in this superbly written dialogue, I am sure that many couples will have nudged each other during the performance, as though to say ‘do you recognise the situation?’ or ‘that is you!’. This play shows us how the square peg does not fit the round hole, or in a Jigsaw, there is always that odd piece that does not quite fit in. You will squirm slightly as you recognise yourself as one of the characters.

Beryl Francis first played the part of Emma about a decade ago – With her husband, Ian, directing. Beryl’s monologue was a real tissue job. Plenty of laughs and gasps as the family relationships unfurled.

A professional show in all aspects. Strongly recommended.

This 140-minute spectacle can be seen at the Old Mill Theatre, Corner Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth, with performances each night at 7.30 (not as some adverts say ‘8.00’) until Saturday 13^th December  7.30 pm.

        When a typhoon passes through Kansas, Aunt Em’s house is hurtled through the air and lands on an evil witch, killing her. Her sister, Olga (Craig Menner), the ugly, wicked Witch of the East decides to take revenge on Aunt Em (Trish Theisinger), young Dorothy (Arianne Westcott-King), and their scruffy dog, Toto (Harrison Wake). However, Olga notices that Dorothy has bright ruby-red slippers with magical properties and is determined to have them.

        Dorothy was getting very worried about Olga’s threat, when Glinda (Nicole Miller) the good Fairy of the West arrives with her hapless friend, Letitia (Trevor Dhu). Glinda explains that Dorothy should travel to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz and seek his help – just follow the yellow brick road. So, guided by the gatekeeper (Rex Gray), Dorothy set off in search of the Wizard with a group of delightful, little people – the Munchkins.

        On her way, Dorothy met a scarecrow (Tim Prosser) leaning on a fence, he had a beautiful singing voice, but no brain. Next, she met a very timid lion (Neil Cartmell), who desperately needed some courage, and finally she met a Tinman (Sarah Christiner), who would love to have a heart. Farther down the road, Dorothy was surprised to meet a famous pop singer, a King from the 70s (a totally unrecognisable Ted Bull). Olga’s mischievous helpers, the wild monkeys, attack the party. Even if the group survives this, there is still the Wizard’s obstinate Chamberlain (Matthew Styles) to get past.

The children, aged from 5 to 14, played the loveable, happy Munchkins and the diabolical, trouble-making Monkeys. The children were magnificent, the Munchkins smiled constantly as they performed, danced in perfect sync and sang with gusto. Their costumes (as for all the others, were designed by Jenny Prosser, Susan Sator, Maree Grayden) were delightful. The Monkeys, with their threatening baboon like faces, glowered and snarled as they leapt around doing cartwheel. Their makeup (designed by Nicolle Miller, and Lisa Piggott) was most impressive, and considering the number of youngsters involved a huge amount of work. Jenny Prosser made most of the costumes. The Tinman’s costume really rattled and clanged as he walked – poor Sarah must have suffered inside, but it was worth it.

Once again, the sets needed that extra sparkle and with Maree Grayden, Ben Davis and Phil Barnett’s input Tim Prosser has done another sterling job with artworks for his set painting.

The Old Mill has some several LED lights that gives a new dimension to the scenery and the atmosphere. Ben and Flynn Vincent operated Ben Davis’ complex lighting design. Flynn is new to the bio box, so on the preview there were a couple of slow light changes, but considering the complexity of the show, I was most impressed and am sure he will be ‘spot’ on for the opening. Bree Vreedenburgh’s sound design required one or two unusual snippets, but this went well with crisp control by Jeremy Skinner.

As musical director, Bree Vreedenburgh had a huge amount of singing and dancing to cope with but the whole team worked very well.

The Munchkins were:- Sienna Birkett, Abbey Breust, Charlotte Broadbent, Caiden Cartmell, Kian Cartmell, Indigo Ellis, Anna Grayden, Hannah Harrison, Tahlia Menner, Grace Pooley, Atira Shack, Brooke Skinner, Naomi Skinner, Adele Stewart.

The evil Monkeys were:- Alexander Broadbent, Hannah Claux, Ryan Drummond, Megan Grayden, Madeline Hooker, Matthew Hutchinson, Kasey Pavlovich, Digby Petit, William Sartor, Aaron Skinner, Georgia Weston-Arnold.

Director Maree Grayden and her assistant Kylie Bywater’s can be most proud of this pantomime; it has all of the magical elements with some wonderful performances from the main characters.

Thoroughly enjoyable, children of all ages will love it – oh no they won’t – oh yes they WILL!