One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Brisbane Arts Theatre boasts that it can present literary classics in their stage version, and do them well.  This is another typical example.

I’m assuming Director, John Boyce, relied on Wasserman’s stage script. His adaptation cleverly manages the book by simplifying the unwieldy range of the characters to 16. I don’t think anything significant was lost. His version still leaves us with much to think about as we deal with how we treat our mentally-ill patients these days (especially as this was playing through Mental Health Week!).

Boyce chose his cast and crew carefully and they served him well. The action moves along steadily, gathering us up emotionally as it goes. Andrew Lowe as McMurphy, the dynamic protagonist and his antagonist, Victoria Costa (Nurse Ratched) shine in their parts among this assortment of medical mental confusions. They are helped by a simple but formidable set (triumph for Chancie Jessop) and challenging lighting and sound designs [Ryan McDonald and Ruby Tuesday resp.] Others who caught our attention were Shaun King (Chief Bromden), Thomas van Kalken (Billy Bibbit), Greg Scurr (Dale Harding), and the quiet and thoughtful Dom Tennison (as Dr Spivey). There was strength and confidence in the other supporting characters, too many to mention individually, but they should also take a bow.

This is a show you need to see.

Jay McKee