Turning on Tim
I’m
always keen to see at least one original commission for the Perth
International Arts Festival, and this year’s re-imagining
of Tim Winton’s collection of short stories - The Turning
- did not disappoint.
I’m not a huge Tim Winton fan it must be said.
Cloudstreet was okay, The Riders woeful IMHO
- I just hated the ending, and you might have read what I thought
of Dirt Music - the one I’ve liked most so far.
Short stories don’t generally hold my attention so I haven’t
read The Turning and can’t comment how faithful Bill McCluskey’s
rendition of it is but I think it must be pretty close because
all the way through I’m thinking, “oooh this is very
Tim Winton.”
Last year I went to see The Drovers’ Wives
and I don’t know whether you caught this production - it
was a dance piece reflecting Henry Lawson’s work and it
used film to project the setting of the outback.
Likewise The Turning uses video and film
to carry some of the story and set the scenes - very effectively.
In a few of the scenes a woman films herself as she’s talking
and that image is flashed up on one of the screens. Cleverly done.
In fact the use of the film really does take the production to
another level and I was intrigued by how well it captured the
mood of the scene - important I suppose when you have a short
scene and need to tell so much.
All they need to add is some of the smells - the
bushland, the forest, the sea - to really take us there. That
will be next I suppose.
The scenes though mostly dark and menacing are leavened
by some almost Kath&Kim portrayals of West Australian characters.
Ern, Cleo and Nan provided some much needed levity - with some
classic lines:
It’s not a f..king truck, it’s
a Landrover.
It is a truck and all we do is f..k in it!
Note: If you are offended by “strong language”
- don’t go.
Some parts were so Western Australian, I cringed,
and wondered how the production might travel - even to other parts
of the country.
The music - like The Drovers Wives was
by Iain Grandage - and it was lovely; setting the scene without
intruding. And the acting was fantastic, especially Nick Simpson-Deeks
who plays Vic and Alison Van Reeken who plays Gail/Jackie. Jai
Courtney was also impressive as Boner. In fact the whole cast
was good.
A couple of things annoyed me though. I don’t
know why he bothered to rename Albany, Angeles. I really don’t.
Every other town is named and really - how many other towns have
had a whaling station on the South Coast? Irritating.
Also (and this was just me) I got confused because
one actress played two of the main parts and I thought she was
playing the younger her grown up. For those who have seen it -
the Gail/Jackie actress is the one I’m talking about.
And finally it’s just too long. 3 hours and
10 mins plus a 20 minute interval. Way too long. Was it Rogers
and Hammerstein who insisted on cutting their shows to end no
later than 11.00 so that people could catch the train home? Well
we drove, but the sentiment is a fine one. Cut it back by at least
half an hour (though not sure what you would cut) and it would
be perfect.
In summary, it’s ambitious, completely Australian
and entertaining. And if you get a chance to see it I’d
be interested in your thoughts.
Will I read the book? Maybe.
Cellobella
To read more of Cellobella's theatre reviews, check
out her blog at
Red Sultana.
