THEATRE: THE CALL

The Call is a humorous, yet claustrophobic observation of four young small-town Australians collectively coming to terms with the realisation that dreams of excitement, adventure and purpose may never measure up with their bleak, unchanging reality.

For Gary, stealing cars, hanging out at the gym and moving from one crappy job to the next with his equally isolated buddies never seem to provide any answers. For his girlfriend Denise (Sarah Becker, the production’s standout performer), visions of the Eiffel Tower, zebras and Norwegian glaciers erode abruptly when, just like every other young girl in town, she finds herself pregnant far too early.

Although shards of hope momentarily peer throughout the dialogue, suffocating feelings of fear and confusion inevitably imprison these youths within the boundaries of their dreary neighbourhood. Despite its rural/outer suburban setting, Patricia Cornelius’s script evokes expressions of frustration and the anxiety of not achieving ones’ full potential that are undoubtedly universal.

Director Lee Lewis uses the minimalist set imaginatively, encouraging her small ensemble to bring their characters’ desolate routines to life through suggestive movement as opposed to heavy reliance on the few props that remain onstage for the duration of the performance. Stefan Gregory’s soundtrack and Luiz Pampolha’s lighting punctuate a series of jagged transitions from mineshaft to living room, abattoir to backyard and so forth, effectively conveying the sense that even though time is passing, everything here remains the same.

Until June 6. SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross. $26-44 (Monday Rush tickets $15), 8002 4772 or online at griffintheatre.com.au