Risk is on at Metro Arts until 15 November 2008.
Umber Productions’ first play is a gut-wrenching, rip roaring thriller. Risk by name and risky by content, character and setting. Not to mention the inherent risks involved in putting on a new Australian work at the best of times, let alone in times of economic doom and gloom. Hats off to Umber for taking the risk and congratulations – because it’s paid off handsomely.
Risk is a new Australian play by award-winning playwright Elaine Acworth. It tells the story of Quin, a young man running from a dark secret. Quin arrives on stage with Bex, a girl he picked up in the pub. They’ve come to the pine plantations for a quickie before he heads up the coast to a new life and Bex goes down south to audition for So You Think You Can Dance. But nothing is as simple as it appears and both Bex and Quin are keeping secrets – dangerous secrets.
As the sun sets in the forest, Quin’s lift arrives – two ex-cons on parole, just released and looking for mischief. They have secrets too and hidden agendas and, once a body is uncovered, it’s clear that not everyone will be leaving. Acworth has a penchant for psychological thrillers and she’s written a cracking paced, action drama to suit the genre. What’s surprising is the intense poetry and lyrical beauty of her text. It’s not always easy to follow – audiences have to work hard to keep up with the twists and turns and amazing imagery – but it’s well worth any effort involved.
The set is the most ambitious and stunning I’ve seen in Metro Arts' Sue Benner Theatre. It’s a magnificent timber set constructed on many levels with leaning planks of wood by the very talented Greg Clarke. It’s highly stylised – there’s nothing realistic or naturalistic about it and it gives a strange distorted perspective, with actors looking taller or shorter depending on where they stand – much like a crazy hall of mirrors but without the reflections.
Chris Tollefson’s lighting design works beautifully with Clarke’s set, creating ominous shadows and differentiating states of being. The effect is aided by Peter Nelson’s sound design, which ups the fear level and gives a panicked and surreal underscore to the action. The only design element that didn’t quite work for me was the body. Wrapped in black plastic, it didn’t have the stage presence of the rest of the set and seemed to hinder rather than help the actors in realising the story.
Risk has been co-directed by Acworth and Fraser Corfield. They’ve assembled a fabulous, predominantly young cast who give the show their all. (I’m married to the not-quite-so-young one of them, Peter Cossar, so unfortunately won’t be able to mention him in this review.)
Kathryn Marquet is wonderfully raw and vulnerable as Bex. She puts herself through the wringer in the role, sobbing, falling, beaten and yet still persisting and fighting. There’s a line of Acworth’s where Quin describes her as having a boiled egg quality. No matter the roiling, boiling water, she keeps bobbing back up again. It’s a beautiful description and Marquet embodies it perfectly. Sam Clark (Quin) matches Marquet with a dangerous edge and a desperation that is only explained at the end of the play. His Quin is a wild card – we never know which way he’ll turn or whether to trust him.
Gavin Ingham makes Benny a slimy and nasty piece of work. He’s Quin’s friend from way back and has just been released from prison with Lizard – a monosyllabic, dangerous brute, capable of only one thought at a time. Benny’s all fast talk and sleaze. On his own he wouldn’t be frightening but with his muscle-bound thug for company he’s terrifying.
Rounding out the cast is Jess Loudon as Lim, Bex’s friend who makes a brief appearance in the forest. Loudon brings a whole lot of humour with the youthful confidence and trailer trash brazenness she manifests in the character.
This is an exciting production with plenty to ponder. Opening night saw a few glitches with special effect cues, but these are sure to be ironed out quickly and, once they are, it will be an even slicker and faster show. Running at about 70 frantic minutes, it’s a fast-paced corker of a show.
Reviewed by Katherine Lyall-Watson.
Want to write your own review? We’d love to hear what you thought about the show. Feel free to make your own comments, even if it’s just a comment on Katherine’s review.
I agree Katherine, I really had to concentrate to follow what was going on. It was so totally refreshing to see a play that respects my intelligence and doesn't attempt to spoon feed me, or dumb everything down.
Definitely go and see this one if you like to think.
The actors were all fantastic too. Best play I've seen this year - without a doubt.