Rita Kalnejais is an Australian playwright, actor, film writer/producer living in London. Kalnejais has worked as an actor and has written some very interesting and challenging plays and movie scripts that often centre around the coming of age of her major protagonists. Her work is challenging, steeped in mid-European sensibilities, and a playground for actors and theatre practitioners to indulge their fantasies and play with the audience’s sensibilities. My kinda night out.

Director Hannah Smith (in her honours year at Flinders) has stepped off the edge of the diving board into free fall with this courageous production, and launched herself as director in this compelling reading of Kalnejais’ challenging work. The nature of anthropomorphism in itself could be seen as an avoidance of an emotional journey between a human and an animal. Simplistic; and surely this would only have served to distance us from the purpose of the narrative. Which is… so many different questions to be answered here but that’s your job (the audience) not mine. Theatre provokes a different response in all of us. That’s its job.

I was transfixed by some of the performances of these young actors who still have a year to go before graduating with honours from this prestigious drama training. Their presence, capability, vocal flexibility, ability to work with and engage in an ensemble. Well, they have a year to go, but I think they can be confident that, at the end of their honours year, the world will be waiting.

Ariel Dzino and Rohan Becker get to take on the responsibility of opening up our hearts to their journey – two victims of the expectation of family duties. Wirra Benveniste’s Cochineal, central to the conflict of the story, drives and holds with a firm hand. Dzino is luminous and Becker astonishingly transparent. Eliza Barnes and Emma Gregory paid such attention to detail that we never lost sight of the characters they portrayed. That dog, Emma! What a delightful free expression of an overbearing male presence. Jaxon O’Neill’s dad is a study in misogynistic and bravado behaviour. I will never unsee the Step-Ones under the apron – worth the price of the ticket!  Finally, Jamie Campbell’s Mole was a character study that left nothing to chance. All these actors played multiple roles (well almost all), but never did the pace or energy drop, or the characterisation falter.

This unique and challenging play has palpable Mid-European sensibilities. Like Brecht, it allows you to observe the story from outside the action but never allows you to become fully immersed in it. You are left observing everything from the outside, waiting for the opportunity to be invited in. I thoroughly enjoyed this version of the journey and was impressed again by the place these actors find themselves in as they embark on their final honours year. A very interesting play given some very interesting pathways to explore by a tight ensemble of graduate students from Flinders Drama Centre. It’s weird, it’s whacky and it showcases some great up and coming South Australian talent. Perfect choice for a Fringe show. 

This play won’t be to everybody’s taste but my mid European buttons got pushed until they sang. Perfect fringe fare.