Somewhere South – REVIEW
Image: Shaun Foley as DH Lawrence and Mel Day as Frieda in Somewhere South. Image: supplied
In Somewhere South, Geoff Sykes presents writer DH Lawrence (played by Shaun Foley) and his German wife Frieda (Mel Day) during their 12-week stay at a Thirroul cottage called Wyewurk in southern NSW.
Back home in England, Lawrence’s books have been banned, Frieda has been accused of being a spy, and fascism is on the rise.
Plagued by illness (TB), Lawrence sees his sojourn in the Australian bush as an opportunity to write, but initially Frieda hates it.
Sykes employs drama, verse, magic realism, movement and narration to tell the story.
Lawrence’s muse, and also the narrator of the story, is the lithesome Katrina Maskell, while the roles of Ezra Pound and neighbour Struthers are taken by the impressive Dominic Colley.
The set is simple, and the wonderful paintings of Gary Shead are projected on the back wall.
Readers of Kangaroo will recognise short excerpts from the novel, which Lawrence completed while at Thirroul.
At the end of 12 weeks, just when Frieda is beginning to enjoy her solitary walks along the beach and the fresh air, Lawrence books a ticket to New Mexico, where he eventually dies in 1930.
The play works well as a vignette of Lawrence’s life at Thirroul. There are tensions between him and his older wife, but also tenderness, which may explain why their marriage survived until his death.
Sykes is an imaginative playwright and director, revealing many aspects of Lawrence’s life in a mere 90 minutes, using many of the styles that theatre offers.
The Chippen Street Theatre is located in an industrial building in a back street of Sydney’s suburb of Chippendale, near Broadway. This is off-Broadway theatre at its best, and worthwhile supporting. Go see it before the season ends and be surprised at the inventiveness of the production!
Until November 12
Chippen Street Theatre, 45 Chippen St, Chippendale
https://chippenstreet.com/
