Things I Know To Be True

Every time I see a Pymble Players production I am always immediately struck by the attention to detail with the scenery.  When I walked in to see this play, however, I noticed very quickly that there was clearly less decoration on the stage and I thought to myself ‘there’s obviously a reason for that’.  Apart from the fact that this play is mainly set in the backyard, the reason for the relatively pared back scenery soon became very apparent:  it simply isn’t necessary.  The quality of the performances in this production is so high that any superfluous decoration would only be a potential distraction.  That is if you can tear your eyes away from the actors.

It is not uncommon in community theatre for there to (understandably) be a weak link in a cast somewhere but in the Things I Know To Be True this is simply not the case.  All six performers show a very wide range of emotions and were consistently true to their characters.  The audience felt the love between the family members, were impressed by the intensity of their reactions to one another and in awe of the outbursts of rage.  This was easily some of the best acting that I have ever seen on a community stage and I have been performing/directing/watching community theatre for many decades.

Bob Guest, a regular performer with Pymble Players, is very strong as the head of the household.  We are completely convinced of his love for his wife, his children and his roses. He is more than ably supported by Judy Jankovics in the mother role and these two ride the roundabout of a marital relationship in a highly believable manner.  Jankovics’ swinging between joy and frustration with her husband and children is the most realistic presentation of motherhood that you are likely to see.

Tonia Davis’ performance as Pip, their eldest daughter, who yearns for some passion in her life, is close to the bone for a lot of mothers in their early to mid thirties who suddenly feel unsatisfied with their lives.  It was very easy to sympathise with her plight.  Mitchel Doran plays Mark, a young man who has been keeping a difficult secret from the family, with great conviction and sensitivity.  He navigates the various responses from his loved ones with a maturity that defies his youthful appearance.

The role of the other son Ben is played by Blake Michael Paish and his character arc goes from jovial to highly agitated with startling skill and pace.  The truthfulness of his panic could not be faulted.  Finally, Rosie the baby of the family, is brought to life by Nicole Dimitriadis and her heart-breaking monologue at the start of the play sets the tone perfectly for the tension and tears to follow from the entire cast. None of the four actors playing the children have performed with Pymble Players before but hopefully we will be seeing all four of them again here in the future.

Racquel Boyd has done an outstanding job with this production.  Not only has she cast this play perfectly but professional pace was maintained throughout and the tension was successfully maintained over the scenery change blackouts.  This really is a play not to be missed.

Things I Know To Be True will continue until Sunday 11^th June and deserves to play to full houses at every performance.  I have never given full marks to any of the other shows or plays that I have reviewed but this piece of theatre really is exceptional.

11 roses out of 10.

Fiona Kelly

Photographer: Daniel Ferris

To purchase a copy of the script for Things I Know To Be True at Book Nook, click here