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The Truth About Kookaburras
Presented by:
Metro Arts and Pentimento Productions
Venue:
Sue Benner Theatre, Metro Arts, Edward St, Brisbane
Reviewer:
Kellie Scott
Date
Reviewed:
Friday 22nd May,
2009
The Truth About Kookaburras is an eye-opener with more levels than a
sky-scraper and more layers than an onion.
A mix of naked footballers, a feminist cop, and a has-been AFL
player take us on an emotional journey that explores issues about
what it is to be a man.
The plot surrounds the mysterious murder of a Gold Coast Kookaburras
team member, who is killed during a bucks’ night at the team
grounds. There’s alcohol, a stripper, and plenty of testosterone
present on the night, but there’s a lot more to this story than
footballers behaving badly.
Essentially
the story delves into the mysterious and puzzling tradition of
buck’s nights. What is male camaraderie, and why do men feel the
need to express it in the way they do? What is the role of men, in
life, or in a relationship? 13 football players shed some light on
these deep questions.
The play is very timely with the current hoo-ha over footballers’
behaviour. Written in 2001, Sven Swenson predicted his play would
attract audiences that wouldn’t usually attend the theatre because
of this parallel hype (<http://www.ourbrisbane.com/>).
My feelings about this production are mixed. If I’m going to be
entirely honest, I think some of the deeper issues went over my
head. There is a lot going on in this play all the time, and it was
at times hard to follow. There are twists and surprises around every
corner, and new issues are continually brought to light.
I was intrigued by every character’s attitude and story, which
ranged from bad childhoods to full-time carers to redundancy in the
role of husband.
It was a very confronting experience at first, with 13 full-frontal
naked men wandering around the stage. Well, not just wandering;
showing it off, and drawing your attention to it whether you liked
it or not. However, this show is not just confronting because there
is nudity, it was so believable – and that was alarming.
Let me be overtly sexist for one paragraph and say this play makes
me consider football team behaviour, binge drinking, alcohol fuelled
violence, and watching naked girls dance around is about more than
men just being beastly and awful. I’m not swayed, but this play
certainly presents the idea the bad behaviour is a deep seated
psyche and not just knock-about lads being a bit naughty.
Performances were impressive, with stand-outs from Peter Cossar, Don
Burgess, and Sean Bowes.
Cossar, who played team coach Mick, gave a whole-heartedly
convincing performance of a troubled man trying to find his place in
the world. His presence on stage was strong and consistent, while
his character developed and grew throughout the production.
Burgess, a homophobic larrikin, was a character I loved to hate.
Cringe-worthy and obscene, Burgess’s portrayal was hard not to
admire.
An underdog of the night, Bowes delivered a powerful performance
when describing his circumstances as a full-time carer for his
mother. Once again, extremely convincing and delivered with
conviction.
Jacki Mison as Sylvie bothered me as she delivered all her lines in
the same style as a TV newsreader. She relaxed this formal rigidness
later in the production, which gave her character a chance to be
taken seriously.
This production was a monster feat, and at three hours I was
surprised it didn’t feel that long at all. Two short intervals broke
up the night and gave me a chance to take in what I had just seen.
The Truth About Kookaburras will have me thinking for a few more
days yet.
You can view an interview with Sven Swenson on The Truth About
Kookaburras at <http://www.ourbrisbane.com/whats-on/performing-arts/men-behaving-badly>
The show continues until the 6th of June. Tickets can be purchased
at
www.metroarts.com.au.
Kellie Scott reviews
for her website
www.brisbanecritiques.com, which was launched in October of
2008. Her reviews can also sometimes be found at
www.absolutetheatre.com.au. Previously her critiques for music
and film have been published in The Catholic Leader and The
Satellite newspapers. She is currently studying Journalism at
university, and hopes to use this to develop her writing skills,
focusing on becoming a professional critic in the future. If you
would like to contact Kellie, please email
kellie@brisbanecritiques.com.
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