The Cutting Cove Currawongs is a proud club steeped in tradition stained only by the lack of a premiership. With this as the focus, its team members are excited about the season ahead and the fresh opportunities offered by recruitment of two talented aboriginal players, cousins Jayma (a fine performance from Queensland Theatre newcomer Ngali Shaw) and Sonny (Tibian Wyles), who have left their mob in the valley with determination to dominate in the starting team. As its game day breakaway banner attests, it’s ‘One Team One Dream’… but in Nathan Maynard’s 37, things are rarely as simple as such appearances might suggest as the conflict between top dogs and underdogs occurring on-field is also evident in the team’s behind-the-scenes dynamics.
It is 2015, is a small country coastal town somewhere in Australia. Thanks to its sponsors, the footy team represents the heartbeat of a community united in their game-day “black, white, we’re all right” chant, in recognition of the team’s Collingwood-like uniform. As the cousins integrate into the all-white community of the football team through training camp initiations and pre-season bonding traditions, the scene is set for eventual conflict. About halfway into its 90 minutes (no interval) duration, things start to take a turn in terms of dramatic tension as themes such as cancel culture and racism are explored through the sporting lens. (The show is named after the number immortalised by Adnyamathanha man and AFL champion player Adam Goodes).
37 is very much an ensemble piece, with excellent performances all around. All are match fit in contribution to the show’s energy, however, Shaw is a clear standout, guiding us through his character’s changing perspectives, from his initial enthusiasm to ultimately realised his football father’s dream, through the divided loyalty that comes from his different life stage from cousin Sonny, to the heights of his anger and conflict over whether his personal beliefs should be compromised. Ben O’Toole also does a particularly solid job in giving team captain Joe an essential empathy in contrast to the behaviour of other heralded team members. Indeed, Trawlwoolway man, Maynard’s script presents characters more than caricatures with much questionable commentary coming from the comic relief of joker Gorby (Mitchell Brotz), humanising what could otherwise be an simple, archetypal villain. For all of its sweaty, sweary bravado, this is a nuanced new work full of clever foreshadowing such as early emphasis on the importance of communication on the footy fields and everything coming at a cost.
Dale Ferguson’s costume design assists in the establishment of characters, brightening the arrival of the two Marngrook cousins (named after the Aboriginal game that inspired AFL) and juxtaposing the complexity of the issues under consideration with the black and white of the team’s uniforms. The highly physical play is also enhanced by the efforts of co-choreographers Waangenga Blanco and director Isaac Drandic, with the choreography of rough sporting scenes of the game, punctuated by the inclusion of stylistic indigenous dance. Specky and alike stills create some memorable imagery in emphasis of the individual vs team struggles brewing beneath, while Ben Hughes’ lighting design often provides an elegant backdrop to the action in signpost of the interconnection of Marngrook and AFL with traditional ceremony movement and sounds (composer & sound designer James Henry).
Authenticity arounds in the fly-on-the-wall sensibility to the story being presented. Maynard’s script is rich with realistic dialogue and amusing banter between characters, but also moments of honest poignancy. Through this, its warnings include about the use of frequent strong course language, racially sensitive commentary and mature themes in its exploration of important social issues. Although there may be no clearcut conclusion or resolution as is so often the case in the real life, in its unfolding 37 is very easy to watch. This makes its themes accessible even to those less familiar with the Adam Goodes ‘war cry’ era of our country’s recent sporting history
This is a highly crafted new Australian work, tightly directed by Isaac Drandic to absorb the audience into its journey. Whether a footy fanatic or not, audience members should know enough to appreciate the multiple levels upon which the show operates. Visceral and exciting, 37 is a laugh-out-loud new Australian play deserving of its rave reviews. And given that the sporting arena is arguably this country’s greatest theatre, there is perhaps no better setting for storytelling, especially of the need to understand each other.