Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: because there was fire by Jamie Hornsby

Written by SA’s Jamie Hornsby, this play has great potential but needs work both in terms of the script and the direction.

Promises to develop into a really powerful piece of theatre.
4

Reviewed at The Mill on 12 March 2019

Presented by Jopuka

Written by SA’s Jamie Hornsby, this play has great potential but needs work both in terms of the script and the direction. The content warning in the Fringe Guide advised that there was occasional, strong coarse language. Not so – there is a huge amount of totally gratuitous use of the f word and occasional use of the c word, which I felt was included merely for its shock value. Bad language doesn’t shock me but rather bores me as it demonstrates a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

Gaby Brooks was convincing as Clara, a bored, troubled teenager, but she needs to slow down her delivery to make her words more intelligible. There is not enough light and shade in Clara’s character such that there seems little development/change in her given the momentous events she experiences.

Beau Wilson played her companion Andrew with a greater range of emotion – moving from the quiet, somewhat nerdy, odd kid to a young man high on speed, sex and excitement right through to a thoroughly selfish unrecognisable, unfeeling monster at the end.

The simple set of 2 red chairs and a steering wheel on a wooden post was clever but the audience was not given much credit for intelligence by director Danielle Brain Whiting. The endless moving of the chairs and the steering wheel was distracting – why not play scenes which took place outside the car to one side? Audiences happily suspend disbelief and use their imagination – they don’t need the chairs and the steering wheel moved to face away from the audience, or off to one side to tell them the characters are no longer in the car.

Despite these reservations, the Jopuka company clearly have the talent to develop this piece into a really powerful piece of theatre.

Reviewed by Jan Kershaw

Venue:  The Breakout at The Mill 154 Angas St, Ground Floor, Adelaide
Season:  13-14 March at 10pm 15 March at 10.30pm 16 March at 2pm and 10.30pm
Duration:  60 mins
Tickets:  $15.00 to $26.00 Concession $23.00

 

More News

To Top