Is the rock a portal to other worlds, the conduit for transformative magic, which allows people to simply disappear? These are questions raised in playwright Tom Wright’s adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s classic 1967 Australian novel, which spawned Peter Weir’s 1975 film. As Lindsay originally intended in her book, the theatre production raises important questions about colonialism, repression, identity and First Nations peoples.
It is St Valentine’s Day in the year 1900. Headmistress of the prestigious Appleyard College, Mrs Appleyard, addresses her students ahead of a field trip to Hanging Rock in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. She warns them not to skylark and to be aware of the presence of venomous snakes and poisonous ants. Then off they set in stifling heat.
I speak of the de facto leader, sweet and pretty Miranda, 17, the beautiful Irma, daughter of a wealthy family, the intellectual Marion and the childish Edith. Left behind is orphan Sara who only attends Appleyard because of a benefactor, but is given short shrift by Mrs Appleyard. With the girls on the rock is maths mistress Miss McCraw. Watching on are two men – Englishman Michael, on holiday, and coachman Albert. The monolith holds a particular fascination. On it, time seems to stand still and before you know it three of the girls and their teacher are nowhere to be seen.
The first 20 minutes or so, working up to the disappearance of this group of private school students and one of their teachers, has the look and feel of a play reading. Then it transforms into an investigation of the mystery – what went down, how it played out and the consequences thereof. I can think of few theatre productions in which sound and lighting have such important roles, setting the tone and establishing the mood.
The music is often appropriately unnerving, sometimes loud and chilling. Composer and sound designer James Brown has done particularly well in crafting the foreboding presence. So, too, lighting designer Trent Suidgeest in adding to the eerie setting. The action takes place on a large rectangle of leaves and bark, below an equally large canopy, the brainchild of designer Elizabeth Gadsby. Light streams in from the sides and from above, with a couple of interludes of fog to add to the atmospherics.
The five actors – Olivia De Jonge, Kirsty Marillier, Lorinda May Merrypor, Masego Pitso and Contessa Treffone – play multiple roles with distinction. A couple I haven’t yet mentioned are Mademoiselle, Appleyard College’s French mistress and a police constable investigating the disappearances. As the piece plays out, director Ian Michael keeps turning the screws. There is a closed in, tortuous feeling about what plays out.
Because of the esoteric nature of the offering, familiarity with the material – which you can get by reading the program – is a decided advantage. Some may still find it obscure, but others will revel in its creativity. Ninety minutes without interval, Picnic at Hanging Rock is on at Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House until 5th April, 2025.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (BAT) – theatre review
- Gaslight (Queensland Theatre) – theatre review
- RBG: Of Many, One (Sydney Theatre Company) – theatre review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
