The Return: Thriller for University of Adelaide Theatre Guild
From much ado, to the other side of the tracks, The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild shifts from Shakespeare to psychological thriller for the next production in its diverse 2015 season. Lesley Reed reports.
Reg Cribb is one of that rare breed of Australian actors who have also succeeded in playwriting. Among Cribb’s plays is Last Cab to Darwin, which is probably better known to the general public for the play’s current movie adaptation, starring Michael Caton and Jackie Weaver.
NIDA-trained Reg Cribb has won the Patrick White Playwrights Award, two WA Premier’s Literary Awards, a NSW Premier’s Literary Award and a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award.
In addition to Last Cab to Darwin, Cribb’s plays number close to a dozen and began with the psychological thriller The Return. The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild is demonstrating its capacity for brave and broad play choice by moving from its recent production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing to staging this contemporary, multi-textured and tense Reg Cribb gem in early October.
On a stifling hot night, a recently released career thug and his junior partner in crime decide to take the last train from Midland to Fremantle via Perth. Bored, restless and looking for trouble, they poke fun at their mind-numbing existence; until a beautiful law student steps into their carriage alone.
Intrigued by her bravado, the men use their offbeat charm to compete for her attention. But there’s more to this young woman than meets the eye and when two other passengers join the train, the balance of power takes an unexpected twist.
When discussing The Return Director Erik Strauts says,“While I will never deny the brilliance of famous plays and the delight of watching them, I am also always on the lookout for fresh and interesting material to bring to our Adelaide theatre lovers. I am delighted that The Guild regularly sees fit to go ‘outside the box’”.
Strauts goes on to say, “I believe that one of the primary roles of theatre is to take us out of our comfort zones to places that we should know about but don’t really want to. Most of us inhabit ‘Middle Australia’- an almost fairy-tale world where life is good. Our homes are comfortable; there is ample and affordable good food and drink for all; health care is available to all; we have reasonable working hours for a decent wage, and if you can’t get a job the social security net is cast wide; and there are a myriad of leisure time activities – more than enough for all tastes. By most measures we rank in the top three countries in the world for quality of life and our lifestyle and standard of living is the envy of most. But all of this is about those of us in the ‘Middle’. For many others, this fairy-tale land is out of reach – and they have a story to tell as well. This is one of those stories.”
Cast for the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild’s production of The Return includes Sarah Cullinan, James King, Steve Marvanek, Nicole Rutty and James Whitrow.
Inspired to write the play after personally witnessing a pair of thugs harassing a woman on a Fremantle train, Reg Cribb has written a piece that includes strong themes and is definitely for mature audiences only.
Riding the uneasy line between comedy and terror, The Return is a thought-provoking and incisive psychological thriller, but one spiced with plenty of black humour.
And the audience may be left wondering… just who has been terrorising whom?
WHEN: Sat 3, Tue to Sat 6-10 & 13-17 October 2015 at 7.30pm
WHERE: Little Theatre, The Cloisters, University of Adelaide
BOOKINGS:
Online: www.trybooking.com/ISKVand www.adelaide.edu.au/theatreguild (fee applies)
Tickets at the door subject to availability (cash only)
Group Bookings: 10+ at concession rate
After hours parking available in the University grounds (Please allow extra time for parking on nights when there is an event at Adelaide Oval).
TICKETS:$28 Full / $23 Concession
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