The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

The Summer of the Seventeeth Doll is a truly great play. This production, the first since the recent death of Ray Lawler aged 93, never allows the audience to forget that fact. Dominating the stage, a large photograph of Lawler is suspended.

Robert Jarman has eschewed the standard box set. Whilst beautifully dressed, the stage blacks frame the action like the dusty swags of a studio portrait. There is a piano and a table and the clutter of seventeen years, but none of it is as real as Olive would like to think it is.

The set becomes particularly bleak after Olive’s cleaning spree to the point that suspension of disbelief is compromised. The final scenes are played out on a largely bare stage. This is saved by powerful acting and engagement in the fates of characters which the audience has come to care about.

On opening night, one audience member was heard to suggest that the language of the play ought to be updated. Quelle horreur! The vernacular of the period is a delight and a joy. The Doll is a time capsule of not only language, but attitudes and beliefs about men and women, mateship and loyalty, some of which we have retained and some of which we have moved beyond. Yet, The Doll retains its relevance and will continue to reflect to Australians who we think we are.

The sepia tones of the set, augmented by the lighting, are echoed in the costumes. The women are beautifully dressed in subdued but classic prints, Bubba providing the one spot of colour. There are some anachronisms in the men’s clothing. Barney is dressed to express his character in printed shirts of a modern cut. The millinery work of Kerry Smith, the wig styling and design by Petrie Porter contribute to the overall authenticity.

Clare Pearson is a wonderful Olive, clinging desperately to what cannot be sustained. She and Astrid Tiefolz (a suitably prim and tight mouthed, Pearl) broaden their vowels into the ugly but accurate dialectic of the era.  One the naïve optimist and the other the opinionated critic, these two experienced actors face off over what constitutes the best of living.

Trevor Gallagher, as Roo, would not look out of place in a slouch hat. He has the spare form of that typically tall Australian male, shamed to be caught out doing a less manly job than cane cutting. Chris Hamley is the ideal Barney, a believable larrikan and drunk. Hamley provides much of the comedy of the piece. These two men recreate the archetypal Australian men of a particular era, bronzed, hard drinking, loyal but not averse to breaking out the fisticuffs. Fight choreography by Andrew Casey amplifies the climax of the breakdown between them.

Poppy Lennon and Jonty Hilton, are fresh and natural compared to the jaded adults, offering hope for future generations as Bubba and Dowd. Virginia Kamino, as Emma, offers the insight and perspective of someone who has seen it all. Kamino offers many moments of dry humour. This is an ensemble of well-cast individuals who have been given intelligent direction. Nothing of Lawler’s intent is lost in this production.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is a well-written and well-structured play that continues to resonate. Australian Theatre “grew up” with this play, and The Doll is still teaching Australians to recognise that “nothing is for keeps” and we are all walking in the dust and may as well take each other’s hand along the way.

Anne Blythe-Cooper

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Photo Credit: Wayne Wagg.