This 55-minute, Sean Guastavino production about eco-disaster, can be seen at 7.00 each evening until Saturday 27th August, in the main theatre of The Blue Room Theatre complex, 53 James Street, Northbridge, Perth.

The scene is a filthy, damp bunker; a most convincing set from designer, Matt McVeigh and set constructor, Matt Crock. The walls are graffiti sprayed black concrete. The low ceiling is comprised of white slabs. Graphic designer, Joseph Dennis added the finishing touches.

The sparse furnishings include a camp bed, a few milk crates, and a couple of 20-litre water bottles. Centre stage is a tub of compost containing a pathetic, dying tree with the odd shoot on the branches.

The production was stage managed by Georgia Smith.

    It is early morning, obsessed and deranged Margo (Zoe Street) is worshiping the failing tree that is struggling to grow in the bunker where Margo has lived for decades. Margo compliments and praises the struggling plant in the hope it will blossom again.

    Thanks to climate change and nearby chemical works, the whole area for kilometres around has died off. Not a tree, bush or blade of grass remains. It is therefore essential that Margo does her best for this remaining tree. Like Lord Byron’s ‘Prisoner of Chillon’, she never dares to leave her prison.

     Margo shares the bunker with a loving, sensible young man, Flint (Peter Lane Townsend) who everyday goes in search of potable water, and tries gleaning the minimal remaining food. If he is lucky, he may even find a few seeds that can be planted for the future, but with the chemical works gestapo patrolling around, it can be extremely risky.

     How long can this dire situation go on? Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

The topic of ‘climate change’ as a theme for a play did not exactly fill me with enthusiasm. Was this to be another message bashing experience? Absolutely not. This was something exciting and completely new.

When a playwright directs his own play the result is rarely satisfactory, but Monty has proved his immense skill in both fields by giving a truly gripping play. The two amazing actors had us on the edge of the seat as the tension rose. The clever lighting by designer Rhiannon Petersen, accompanied by Alex and Yell’s sound design, gave a tremendous climax that shook the building and surprised us all.

It is always good for a production marketer to have something genuinely worthwhile to promote. Amelia Tuttleby has an outstanding play to offer the lovers of quality theatre.

There are three different, secret venues for this most unusual play. With performances performed in Fremantle for two nights, two in Guildford and two in Leederville. The hour long ‘happening’ starts at 7.00 on various evenings until the 20^th February.

The Fremantle venue was a rustic garden, surrounded by hewn, limestone walls, with fabulous, trailing and potted plants. A large fish pond lay in the secluded corner.

         The crowd are warmly welcomed into the private garden, by the home’s gardener, Greg (Nathan Whitebrook). As he brushes the paving, the visitors settle on cushions and crates. Greg explains how much pride he takes in his work, especially this garden and spins a few yarns. He has the blood group that seems to attract the mozzies, and so he invites anyone who has similar problem to spray themselves, offering around the Aeroguard.

         After a few minutes of light banter, Greg retreats to the BBQ at the rear of the house, to cook the snags.

         Perched on a high wall, a young guitarist (Tom Beech) softly plays his melodious compositions. As he strums, the cat from next door appears (Zoe Street), playing with her favourite musical toy, only to run into the owner’s big savage dog (Monty Sallur); however, when they hear Greg returning, they disappear quickly into the undergrowth.

        The visitors are invited to help themselves to the food and homemade lemonade provided by the host. The perfect host, Greg, continues to tell us of his life and daily routine, when suddenly he discovers that a guest has betrayed their warm invitation. The mood changes.

 

The acting commanded by the three performers was both physically and mentally demanding, but the three performances had every ounce of energy packed into them.

This show must have been a major challenge for clever director Rhiannon Petersen and the producers, Sean Guastavino and Zoe Street, but by moving the venue around it covers most of Perth CBD, giving a very different atmosphere to the loveable creature’s play.

Publicist, Amelia Tuttleby, has advised me that it is a sell-out, with only a few tickets left for the final venue, Leederville.

‘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.