Away

Brilliantly acted, with a spectacular set change, but lacking the emotional connection of smaller productions. That was one view which emerged in the foyer of the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre after watching this seminal Australian play, 31 years after it opened at the much cosier Griffin Theatre.

Director Matthew Lutton had the large stage to play with and steered the production more towards its Shakespearean allusions.

Away famously opens with an excerpt of a student production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The forest setting for Shakespeare’s work remains in place for the first half of this production with only a rotating closet to signify a change of scene.

Away’s central character Tom stayed on stage, like Shakespeare’s character Puck, and there are musical re-appearances of the donkey’s head that provides comic relief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The dancing donkey appeared a little out of place in this production and was  unhelpful for those seeing the play for the first time.

Balancing the need for a fresh approach and explaining the story to first-timers is a delicate tightrope to balance. As a first timer myself, I was keen to see what made Away tick the box as an Australian classic.nWhat struck me was the blistering  brevity which Michael Gow establishes characters and humour.

Sublime moments accentuated by the quality of the actors in this production included Heather Mitchell’s character Gwen - hen pecking at a million miles an hour when her family’s annual summer ritual of Christmas present exchanges at their summer beach holiday goes amiss. Glen Hazeldine as headmaster Roy effortlessly taking us back to a school hall in 1967. Liam Nunan deliciously balanced the nuances of his character Tom, in one scene begging like a puppy dog for sex and in another scene as Rick, a tortured newlywed on his honeymoon.

A summer storm is the catalyst for a change of scenery that brings families together to a beach setting that is an allegory for King Lear on the heath.

It was a platform for more brilliant scenes which worked well in isolation, even if they didn't quite gel as a whole production.

A fascinating and enjoyable night in the theatre nonetheless.

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David Spicer

Photographer: Prudence Upton