I’n not sure how I managed to miss this play by Australian playwright Andrew Bovell first time round in 2016. The playwright has been on my radar since enjoying both When the Rain Stops Falling and Speaking in Tongues. I particularly like the structure of his plays, as I do with this one.
It’s set in Adelaide, Australia, over one year in the Price family home. They are a typical suburban family where the parents have worked hard to ensure their children get a better life. Husband / father Bob is a redundant car worker and wife / mother Fran is a nurse. They have four grown up children, the eldest of which, thirty-four-year-old Pip, herself has two girls. The middle two boys, Mark aged 32 and Ben aged 28, are both single and then there’s nineteen-year-old Rosie, nine years younger than the next sibling, who was clearly unplanned. It’s a dramatic year for all four children who between then face a separation, emigration, broken heart, corporate crime and a questioning of gender.
It covers so many issues in just two hours playing time. The parents can’t let go of their children, but the children can’t let go of them too. With children dependent on their parents for so much longer today, it seems very timely. The nature of parent-child relationships has changed in just one generation and this one family seems to embody the entire issue. It’s beautifully written, with much depth in the characterisation and complete authenticity in the situations and relationships.
The staging by Geordie Brookman and Scott Graham is outstanding too, with Frantic Assembly’s Graham adding his beautiful, delicate movement and physical theatre touches. I thought all six performances were terrific – Ewan Stewart and Cate Hamer as the loving parents, with distinctly different relationships with each child. Seline Hizli’s Pip has a difficult relationship with her mum, but they have more in common than either realise. Arthur Wilson’s Ben, spoilt my mum, is moving in posher circles, with consequences. Matthew Barker’s Mark isn’t the son dad thought he was. Kirsty Oswald plays Rosie, whose sibling relationships are defined by the age gaps, and she’s the only one who hasn’t disappointed her parents, yet. Lovely performances.
I found this a deeply satisfying, thought provoking play. The golden age continues.
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