Funny, challenging, demanding and sometimes downright confronting
Presented by: Theatre Republic in association with Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 25 September, 2024
Kendall Feaver has written a play about the mental health problems of a young woman, particularly the problems encountered by Anna, our protagonist, as she enters her eighteenth year and gains the ability to make her own decisions – for good or bad. Sounds like a riveting hour and a half in the theatre – well, the good news is, it is! Feaver’s script is funny, challenging, demanding and sometimes downright confronting. But it moves along like a train that leaves the station slowly and as it gathers speed it careers from scene to scene with breathtaking clarity. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes frightening and not a moment is wasted until we reach its poignant climax.
Corey McMahon has assembled the perfect cast to take this trip. Anna Steen’s Vivienne is a study in control. Never letting her personal feelings cloud her professional integrity. Her portrayal of the always squeaky clean, health professional is a joy to watch. Simon Chandler’s Oliver is a role that requires a bit of everything from comedy, to honesty, to emotional rawness. Mr Chandler handles the role with a deft touch. Some of his more challenging emotional moments were heartbreaking, but his comic timing is brilliant.
Tamara Lee’s Renee has a vast array of extremes to portray, it is the foundational role of the play and without the warmth, humour and honesty of the character Anna would not have been given the permission and the support to explore the depths required to play the complex, intriguing, character that Feaver has brought to life in this tour de force of a play.
Emily Liu is a name to watch. This role is a gift, a challenge, an actor’s nightmare and a dream of a part to play. Liu rises to the challenge with what appears to be an effortless portrayal of Anna and her fractured journey into adulthood. Her performance allows us to experience the innocence of mental illness in its raw state, her journey through the piece is beautifully paced, laced with humour, venom and vulnerability that leaves the audience with a sense of helplessness and hope. An extraordinary achievement.
Corey McMahon’s directing has a firm and polished hand, he hasn’t missed a moment. These four actors hold the space and tell the story with polished ease. The set, costume and lighting design are so good you really don’t notice them (that’s a compliment); production design by Meg Wilson, lighting design by Nic Mollison and the icing on the cake is Jason Sweeny’s energetic and disturbing music/soundscape.
Theatre Republic makes us wait a while between productions and it is always worth the wait. We have some very talented theatre practitioners in Australia and a concentration of them live in Adelaide. Help celebrate our local talent by filling the Space Theatre and keeping this local professional company alive. This is a play worth venturing off your couch to see, live theatre at its best. It has won a slew of awards world-wide, let’s hope it wins some more in Adelaide.
Reviewed by Adrian Barnes
Photo credit: Bri Hammond
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide festival Centre
Season: 25 – 28 Sept 2024
Duration: Approximately 100minutes, no interval
Tickets: $60.00 general admission Conc: $55.00 Under 30: $30.00
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/the-almighty-sometimes
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