Stars of Track and Field

Stars of Track and Field sounded like my sort of gig, having been a practising athlete for my entire adult life. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This edgy drama about a dysfunctional family centres on the mother, who was preparing to sprint in the Olympics when involved in a car accident which left her with a broken body and shattered dreams.

The husband, a European migrant, has his own issues from his childhood and does not have the understanding or empathy to deal with his wife’s depression. He knows she likes presents, and this does cheer her up, but this solution is only temporary and each time another fight soon erupts.

Unfortunately the two teenage children can’t help but get involved, but are way out of their depth in trying to help, particularly with a father who doesn’t relate to them.

The small space at La Mama was well used with lighting moving the action between different areas. Kristina Benton gave a sympathetic portrayal of the injured, depressed mother, sometimes sparking up as she recalled her glory days. Joe Petruzzi gave an edgy reading as her confused husband, struggling to cope.

Stephanie Pountney played the daughter who self-harms, something which is dismissed by her parents. Hayden Burke is her older sibling who sees himself as the one who needs to solve everything, but doesn’t have the maturity to find an appropriate solution.

The performers were uniformly strong and this deserves a sell-out season.

Graham Ford