THEATRE: CHERRY SMOKE
BY TRISCHELLE ROBERTS
Emerging scriptwriting James McManus has been internationally recognised for Cherry Smoke and it’s easy to see why. The beauty of his script is in the way that it makes seemingly simple words, phrases and characters fascinating. Things that could otherwise be easily dismissed are somehow provocative and haunting.
Set in America’s poverty-stricken deep South, Fish takes care of himself, fighting in underground boxing matches while struggling to love his girl, Cherry. John Shrimpton, as Fish, and Emily Rose Brennan, and his girlfriend Cherry, feel the weight of the story but strain themselves attempting to put too much emphasis into every scene. The relationship between Fish’s brother, Duffy (Ivan Donato), and his girlfriend Bug (Julia Ohannessian) is based on the actors’ relaxed, intimate rappor, and is far more agreeable to the audience. The hero of this production is Donato, whose clown-like physicality offsets the heaviness of the rest of the cast.
While not an entirely sucessful production, Cherry Smoke is worth a watch to see an interesting group of young creatives working through an promising script. However, the best work from all involved is still yet to come.
10-28 Feb. The Old Fitzroy Theatre. $29/$21 or $35 beer, laksa and show; Cheap Tuesdays $17 or $25 beer, laksa and show; 1300 483 849 or www.rocksurfers.org
