The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race

Melville Theatre Company’s The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race is the WA premiere of this funny, feminist and character driven play. Beautifully presented and thoughtfully directed, it is delighting audiences.

Set in a fictional town in the NSW Southern Highlands, the story centres around the “potato race” at the annual Appleton Show and the disparity between the prize money for the men’s and women’s races. Perth gets a brief mention, with the statement that we are culturally similar - although the ‘foreign references’ in this production to Physie classes, poker machines and rugby league may make Perth audiences question this.

The beautifully written characters are brought to life with expertise by this cohesive all-female cast. Lis Hoffman is delightful as Bev Armstrong, Chair of the Appleton Show Committee, a “tell it like it is” country woman who is dealing with a number of personal issues. Despite being prickly and blunt, Lis Hoffman’s excellent portrayal makes her somewhat of a favourite. Equally beloved is Valerie Henry’s nicely layered portrayal of Barb Ling, a salt of the earth woman, with a heart of gold. 

Set in a small town, there are inter-relationships, with two of the characters being Barb’s nieces. Kate O’Sullivan is strong as catalyst character Penny Anderson, who grew up in Appleton and has recently returned to be the local GP. Kate captures Penny’s complex ‘otherness’ well in a performance with depth. Penny’s cousin Nikki Armstrong, local girl, single mum, and potato race champion is played by Katy Murphy with excellent complexity.

Making an impressive community theatre debut, Neha Chhapia completes the cast nicely as Rania Hamid, a Syrian refugee finding her own place in a small community.

Particularly impressive in this production is the sound design. Talkback on local radio and sound excerpts from TV reports keep us abreast of what is happening in Appleton beyond the five characters we meet. Expertly prepared and presented, this design by Alan Gill (and the work of some great voice artists) is second-to-none.

Michelle Ezzy and Sarah Boyle give us a multi-locale set that gives us snippets at the major locations in the story, the local pub, doctor’s surgery, hairdresser, and Showgrounds. It is lit with strong use of colour by Krista Clark.

Touching on some significant social issues, The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race asks the audience to examine our prejudices without condemning the views of others, while remaining funny and light throughout. A feel-good production with characters we grow to love, this is a smart little comedy that is a joy to watch.

Kimberley Shaw