‘Whitefella Yella Tree’: A Revival Show You Can’t Miss

A tender tale of queer love told against the backdrop of Australia’s looming establishment as a commonwealth, Whitefella Yella Tree is nothing short of sensational. Across a brisk 90 minutes, Dylan Van Den Berg’s story of two young men from neighbouring mobs falling in love as colonialism encroaches on their lives is as heartbreaking as it is hilarious under the careful direction of Declan Greene and Amy Sole.

Ty (Joseph Althouse) is a young man from River Mob who’s learning to become a storyteller. As part of his responsibilities, he has to meet with Neddy (Danny Howard), a man of Mountain Mob who prides himself on his strength, underneath a lemon tree. Sparks fly quickly between the two, and they begin to fall in love – but they can’t possibly know their worlds are about to change forever.

With a relatively simple set crowned by a small, inverted tree, Whitefella Yella Tree is a particularly character-focused affair that pins a lot on the performances of its two leads. Thankfully, Joseph Althouse and Danny Howard are sensational as Ty and Neddy, each bringing their characters to life in substantially different ways.

Althouse shines as the more obviously mature Ty, portraying his duelling responsibilities to his family and new lover with a sense of inner turmoil and conflict. In his performance, Althouse is able to balance tenderness and Ty’s sense of burgeoning maturity in a remarkably compelling way.

Danny Howard is equally spectacular in this show, delivering an absolutely sensational performance. Neddy’s character is exceptionally charming with his mix of physical strength and somewhat crude understanding of the world, but Howard’s performance feels so natural that he often feels like a living, breathing person; a fact that makes his role in the narrative all the more tragic.

Whitefella Yella Tree explores identity, love and colonialism

It’s the ballad of Ty and Neddy that drives Whitefella Yella Tree, which deftly explores a wide collection of themes related to colonialism; racial identity, cultural preservation and the way that colonial lines of thought erase diverse sexual identities.

As the play goes on, the two men are increasingly separated by the dividing colonial line while trying to maintain their relationship and sense of cultural self. It’s an emotionally affecting play, and the fact that Whitefella Yella Tree also manages to be funny at the same time is a testament to Dylan Van Den Berg’s deftly written script.

The smartly realised aesthetics of the play also help in the delivery of its message. The excellent lighting throughout allows the show to dip a toe into the surreal, and Whitefella Yella Tree’s the deliberately anachronistic costumes invite the audience to challenge the way narratives about Australia’s Indigenous people have been formed.

Rather than view the First Nations people of the colonial era as an amorphous group, the play emphasises colonialism as something that happened to people just like the ones watching the play. Its investigations into what it means to be Blak and queer in a world that desperately wants conformity also feels especially important given the particularly nationalist moment we’re living in.

All together, it means that Whitefella Yella Tree hits like a truck in this sensational revival season at Sydney Theatre Company. Owing to its incredible performances, direction and script, it’s undoubtedly one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve seen this year in Sydney – if you didn’t catch it at Griffin Theatre Company previously, don’t miss it now.

Whitefella Yella Tree is playing at Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 Theatre until October 18th.