The City

The city woke up with an array of characters bursting into life, including Lex Marinos rolling out from under a table. That same table and a handful of chairs were the extent of the scenery and they were artfully reimagined as a bed, a landscape garden, a fire wall, a boat ....  even protection from low-flying birds. Lexie Dent, playing a young lover, was on stage for what seemed like five minutes before her feet even touched the ground.  Her fellow actors skillfully kept putting chairs in her path to step on as if she was floating on air on her way to her paramour, played by the highly charismatic Rocco Forrester-Sach. The intimacy created by these two young actors was palpable and intoxicating.

All seven actors appeared to be wearing their own black clothes, with differing shoe colours their only chance to have any individuality. Costume changes were slick and effective as layers were added and removed without missing a beat.  These additions included a tie, a white coat, a flannelette shirt, some hi-vis gear and dressing gowns. Natalie Fenwick even took a break from her main role as a landscape designer to appear briefly through a gap in the curtain, half naked and wearing a shower cap.

Christie Koppe wore two hats, as both the Director and Choreographer of this production, and her actors were hardly ever still. The clever use of voiceovers in the pre-recorded soundscape meant that the actors could really throw themselves into this very physical piece without having to worry about stamina or breath control. The narration featured both male and female voices of differing ages and accents. There were very few moments of silence or empty stage which meant that the audience was engaged from start to finish.

Zoran Jevtic alternated between playing an arsonist and a fisherman with alarming speed, especially when his arsonist was twitchy and a little unhinged compared to the calm serenity of his fisherman. He was also a very fluid dancer and a joy to watch. Alison Bennett was mainly a scientist but also took a turn as an older lady in a touching scene opposite Lex Marinos. Though nowhere near his age, her performance was thoughtful and consistent. Lex was a troubled, alcoholic lawyer who was equal parts vulnerable and strong. He did his best to keep up with the vigour of his much younger colleagues and belied his seventy-two years. His performance was about as far away from Bruno in Kingswood Country as you could possibly get.

The standout for this reviewer, however, was the captivating performance given by Rebecca Kellahan.  She was never out of character and seamlessly transitioned from a uni student to a little girl at a moment’s notice.  She was petite, perfectly cast and seemed to channel Anna Kendrick in both looks and youthful energy.

Given the sparse scenery and almost all black costuming, the onus for providing colour fell squarely on the shoulders of lighting designer James Wallis and he rose to the challenge spectacularly. His smooth transitions were flawlessly in sync with the soundtrack as he helped the actors to interweave the myriad of storylines. You could almost feel the heat from the lighting in the fire scene and the cold, forest mood as the young lovers had to navigate their way through living obstacles to get to each other.

The performance finished the way that it started, with Lex rolling back under the table to signify the end of the day.

My only issue with this production was the unfortunate layout of the space.  The performance area was not elevated and the seating was not raked, meaning that our seats in the third (and last) row afforded a very restricted view.  Our only option was to stand behind our seats and watch the entire performance on our feet.  While this gave us a much better vantage point for the floor work and the lighting effects, I wouldn't have wanted to have paid $60+ for our tickets to then have to stand up.

A polished performance from all involved.

Fiona Kelly

Photographer: Robert Catto