Death In Bowengabbie

Death in Bowengabbie is an amiably funny one-man-show that, while written within a well-established formula, never comes across as an assembly line product.

Caleb Lewis’ script tells the story of Oscar (Elliot Howard), an earnestly ambitious, but principled young man whose career as an architect is on the rise, when a death in the family calls him back to the country town in which he grew up. Oscar is surprised at the way in which Bowengabbie has changed since his childhood years, and a series of chance encounters with the friends and family he left behind causes him to rethink the direction his life is headed.

The broad strokes of the Lewis’ narrative may be familiar, but the plot does contain some surprising twists, the dialogue is often bitingly witty and his descriptive language contains some haunting imagery. Well matched to the material, Howard is a dynamic, impassioned monologist - ensuring that each character has their own voice and distinct set of physical mannerisms.   

The play unfolds on a bare stage, the only props being a model of Bowengabbie made of cardboard boxes. The inventive lighting and sound design by Stephen Dean carries the day in delineating scene transitions.

This is a short and simple show, but it is imbued with a genuine sweetness and those in the mood for a night of feel-good comedy should definitely check it out.

Benjamin Orchard