The Boys

Brisbane’s newest theatre company, PIP Theatre, has their raison d’etre embedded in their name: Purpose in Performance. They choose plays with a social conscience and they work with local community groups. In the case of Gordon Graham’s The Boys, it’s charity Micah Projects who run the Brisbane Domestic Violence Service. In his award-winning play, Graham does not glorify violence – and there is very little on the stage. But he does make the potential ever-present as the play attempts to explain the pressure cooker of family violence, lack of self-worth, repression, financial burden, domestic drudgery, and inarticulate primordial sexual identity – what some call ‘toxic masculinity’ (which wasn’t even a phrase when Graham wrote his play in 1992) – that can lead to violence.

The central action takes place over a 24-hour period and starts with an end-of-jail-term coming home BBQ for Brett Sprague (Stephen Geronimos), eldest son of single mum Sandra (Deidre Grace) and brother to Glenn (Samuel Valentine) and Stevie (Aidan O’Donnell). But it’s the day after the night before and ‘the boys’ have gone missing after several eskies of beer and Brett’s attempts to claw back his status as the family’s alpha male. Sandra and the boys’ girlfriends rally at the family house and slowly realise that the missing men may be connected to a violent crime that has taken place overnight. The violence is unseen; the police action is unseen and yet the strength of this script is that you feel you have witnessed the whole story. The time sequences fast forward and rewind to add to that tension, which covers the act of violence but also the ensuing mob mentality. This play turns a critical eye on the underbelly of Australian suburbs and what is reflected is often cringe-worthy – and you will recognise the boys and their vernacular. But there is humour too: Graham has created a deft mosaic of the undercurrent of tension in domestic life where even making a nice salad can get your head bitten off.

Taking on these difficult characters is a group of quietly accomplished Brisbane-based performers. And they all do a brilliant job. Stephen Geronimos’ Brett fills the theatre space with his energy and aggression as he works to win control back from his little brothers who have moved on a tad since his incarceration. As Glenn, Samuel Valentine portrays the frustration of the middle kid who wants to change his circumstances, but gets dragged back down by his family. Aidan O’Donnell plays Stevie as the self-centred youngest, used to getting his own way. His pregnant girlfriend is just an inconvenience he could do without so he can watch ‘The Footy Show’. It's no afterthought that the one ‘boy’ who is barely mentioned but who plays a crucial role is ‘Dad’ who left the family. And while the three boys don’t really look like brothers, I think that works to hint that perhaps they have three different (but all absent) fathers.

Of course, while the play’s title draws the focus on the men, it is their partners who take centre stage as the playwright tries to understand what it’s like for the women caught up in these lives. Leela Rashid calmly plays the pregnant Nola as heartbreakingly unconfident. Chantal Elyse swiftly and sharply defines Jackie as the upwardly-mobile fly in the Flora: she dares Glenn away from the family orbit, and is the first to suggest the reality of what has happened overnight. It’s a strong performance. As Brett’s long-suffering girlfriend, Michelle, Zoe Houghton is a powerful stage presence – so much so that you can see an alternate universe for these characters where her Michelle whips them all into shape! Deidre Grace plays single-mum and soon-to-be grandmother, Sandra, as a woman who keeps calm and carries on. She is used to deploying ‘denial’ as her main survival tool.   

PIP Theatre has only been in operation for a short time and their choice of material was not taken lightly. In a post-show Q&A, PIP’s founder Deidre Grace explained that the team had sought advice from several previous directors of the work, including Sam Strong, who directed the most recent production in 2012. The Boys has never been performed in Brisbane. This considered and thoughtful approach is reflected in the work of Director, Cienda McNamara, who has produced an engaging and thought-provoking piece, with opportunities for outstanding performances by her cast. The crew have also done well to recreate the suburbs through a backyard garden set design, looming afternoon shadows by Lighting Designer, Timothy James and the ironic neighbourhood calm of magpies by Sound Designer, Katie Swan. This is a team effort including Assistant Director, Sheri Van Geest, Set and Costume Designer, Genevieve Ganner, Intimacy Director, Michelle Miall, Fight Director, Jason McKell, Stage Manager, Kayla Alexandra, and Production Manager: Amelia Slatter. Well done to all.

After the pandemic’s lockdowns, binge viewing, overdose of news and social media, you may doubt the power of fiction and drama to address the issues of tension and violence in a powerful way. But this revival of The Boys proves that the role of drama is just as powerful as ever. The mixed audience was mostly younger people and, judging from the post-show Q&A, they are very serious about addressing the issues that the play delves into. Presented during Sexual Violence Awareness month, The Boys is essential viewing and could be a life-saving conversation starter in a safe space.

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Raoul Slater

Find out more: https://piptheatre.org/the-boys

Read Stage Whispers’ previous interview with the playwright: www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/boys-women-and-playwright