Presented by Stirling Players
Reviewed 13 March 2021
Cosi is highly acclaimed as one of the funniest Australian plays to be written in the last few decades. Set in 1970, it tells the story of Lewis, a young Director who’s been hired to put on a production of the 18th century Italian opera, Così fan tutte. Possibly a boring story, if not for the fact that his cast are all inmates of a Melbourne psychiatric facility.
With the perfect set-up for scripted hilarity, the show takes on an even higher level of humour when you realise it’s based on a true story, experienced by the writer himself. No doubt literary liberties have been taken (as is every comedy writers’ prerogative) and the promise of laughs is well met.
Our Director in this production is Megan Dansie, who I suspect is very happy with how the show’s come together. As she should be. Dansie has assembled an excellent cast, each of whom play the part of mental patient eerily well. The performances are well considered, and each have a depth beyond the scripted words alone.
The audience favourite is Doug, played by Jethro Pidd, which may say something about us as the viewer in that Doug is the most deranged and dangerous of all the characters. It would have been easy for Pidd to have overdone this role, and he probably would have gotten away with it. Instead, he has straddled the line between funny and disturbed perfectly.
Other notable mentions include Jenny Allan as Ruth, and April Stuart as Roy. Both actors have emersed themselves into their characters with admirable dedication and authenticity.
The costumes and props are spot on, and the sound and lighting do exactly what they need to. There were minimal tech issues, certainly none worth mentioning. Bob Peet’s set design is clever and functional, and executed well.
Cosi is playing in the charming Stirling Community Theatre until the 27th of March and is absolutely worth the trip up the freeway.
Reviewed by Doug Phillips
Twitter: @DouggyOz
Venue: Stirling Community Theatre
Season: 12th to 27th March 2021
Duration: 2.5 hrs
Tickets: $25, Conc $20, Groups of 10+ $18
Bookings: stirlingplayers.sct.org.au or phone (08) 7481 6152
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