Fourteen is a moving piece of theatre that is beautifully staged
Presented by: Shake & Stir Theatre Co and Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 7 August 2024
The national tour of the play Fourteen has reached Adelaide and takes to the stage of Dunstan Playhouse for a short run.
The play is based on the 2020 memoir of the same title by Shannon Molloy and follows Malloy through a year of coming-of-age experiences while living in 1990’s Yeppoon. The realisation of being gay, bullied and harassed by peers (and teachers), and the undercurrent of isolation are some of the underpinning themes for the production.
Fourteen opens in 2018 with Shannon (Conor Leach) in Queenstown about to get married. This becomes the bookending moments as the story quickly shifts to a retelling of a single, impactful year. It is a character heavy production with cast members Helen Cassidy, Karen Crone, Judy Hainsworth, Ryan Hodson, Tom Oliver, and Steven Rooke doing an excellent job of the rapid shifts between the many characters they embody throughout the show.
We are introduced to the all-boy, rugby-obsessed school where the majority of Shannon’s torment occurs and the surrounding people and locations that he is able to escape to. The overall goal arising in the second half is to head on an overseas student exchange, which creates the ultimate sense of freedom from the trials of being different while growing up in regional Queensland.
Fourteen is beautifully staged with a two-story set and a turntable centre stage that creates an immersive visual experience. The production is a showcase of stagecraft excellence, loaded with excesses in nostalgia that many children of the nineties would connect to.
The power of the overall visual and some of the pacing in humour feels at times to be at the expense of the storytelling. There is a lot of material to cover from the book, and in general for a year-in-the-life narrative, which would have been a tough balancing act for such a production. There are many moments of humour that cut down moments of emotional build. The first few instances are fantastic and a great tension break, but after a few more there isn’t much time for tension and character build that would allow for a harder hit in the key points of highs and lows.
Fourteen is an ideal entry point for theatre for young adults. It is engaging with wonderful lighting and pacing to the music that hits all the essential beats of a play. The cast are quick on their feet and adapt well to the many characters layered into the show. It does tease that there is more to tell, which features in the book and may have suited a longer production.
Fourteen was adapted by Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij (who also directed) and features the stunning production by Creative Producer Ross Balbuziente, Set Designer Josh McIntosh, Costume Designer Fabian Holford, Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest, Sound Designer and Composer Guy Webster, Choreographer Dan Venz, Intimacy Director Michelle Miall, and Fight Director Tim Dashwood.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Photo credit: Joel Devereux
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 7-10 August 2024
Duration: 1hr 40mins
Tickets: $59
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/fourteen
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