TINDERBOX
Image: Photo by Patrick Boland
Tinderbox is a play about bushfires that opened, very aptly, on the then-hottest day in Sydney since World War 2. Written by Alana Valentine and directed by Zoe Carides, it asks the question, ‘Is it possible to love someone who has committed an act of unspeakable wrong?’
It tells the story of Viv (Nastassja Djalog, also the producer) and her next-door neighbours Tom (Alan Lovell) and his son Ben (Benjamin Ross) and explores the emotional destruction and regeneration that takes place in their relationships following an act of arson in their community.
The vaguely apocalyptic red lighting, the smoke that filled the tiny theatre and a haunting soundtrack by John Encarnacao create an eerie, smouldering atmosphere that feels as though it could turn into a blaze at any moment.
Valentine’s mix of bushfire statistics and offbeat metaphors (one memorable example involves Tom comparing parenting to singing in the shower) are strangely poetic and despite the disjointedness, surprisingly easy to follow. The dialogue is brought to life by the subtle intensity of the three actors- Djalog’s overly sensitive, childlike Viv is the ‘water’ of the play in contrast to Lovell and Ross’s explosive father-son relationship.
In a word, Tinderbox is intense. You walk out of the theatre with a spinning head and a body crying out for fresh air.
Until Jan 27, Theatre 19 (formerly Darlinghurst Theatre), 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point, $33-38, 8356 9987, darlinghursttheatre.com
BY ANITA SENARATNA
