THEATRE: NEW DIRECTIONS
A little season of big ideas is how New Theatre describes New Directions, its annual mini-season of theatrical treats from Australia and abroad. Running over four weeks, New Directions is not about elaborate sets or over-the-top costumes. Rather, it’s about bringing stimulating, entertaining and challenging contemporary works to Sydney for theatregoers to enjoy.
The 11th season kicked off last week, with US playwright Catherine Trieschmann’s Crooked leading the charge. Set in Oxford, Mississippi, Crooked is a complex story that explores the ideas of faith and religion, mental illness, sexual awakening and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. It centres around 14-year-old Laney, whose hunched back is as twisted as her wild imagination, her recently-divorced and free-thinking mother, and Laney’s new-found friend, Maribel, a naïve 16-year-old born-again Christian who uses religion as a refuge from reality. The themes are compelling, however I felt the characters were underdeveloped and the execution of the story lacked sophistication. It all felt a little too hurried, and the end came so suddenly that it almost felt as though the house lights had been switched on too early. This may have been Trieschmann’s way of trying to emulate the abruptness we face in life, however I left the theatre feeling like someone had torn the last few pages out of an intriguing book. This being said, the three actresses who starred each performed well, and while I didn’t love the actual play, it did provide plenty of good laughs and it was genuinely thought-provoking.
On the bill this week is the world premiere of Sam Atwell’s The Chekhov Team. Set in a Brisbane share house, with the works of Chekhov as a background, it follows four students as they search for meaning in a world where truth is becoming increasingly difficult to define. Week three will feature Rosane McNamara’s The Big One. Part docu-drama, part-thriller, this provocative play exposes what really happened behind the scenes after an Exxon tanker spilled crude oil off the coast of Alaska in 1989. With the current BP catastrophe, never has there been a more appropriate time to stage this play. The mini–season will wrap up with a double bill, made up of John Clancy’s Fatboy, a satire on America’s insatiable hunger for everything, and Falk Richter’s Electronic City, a kooky neo-romantic fantasy for the 21st century about life as reality television. The New Theatre program promises, “wild, witty, dangerous, confronting, smart, and outrageously funny plays.” So be adventurous and take a step into New Directions.
Until Aug 7, New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown, $22-70, 1300306776, mca-tix.com.au
