{"id":136747,"date":"2021-04-17T08:28:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T22:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=136747"},"modified":"2021-04-17T13:52:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T03:52:05","slug":"the-cane-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-cane-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cane (Red Stitch Theatre) – theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Power and control shift constantly in the drama The Cane, which is set in England.\u00a0On the verge of retirement after 45 years in the job, Edward (Dion Mills) is a deputy school head.\u00a0It is Sunday and his wife, Maureen (Caroline Lee) \u2013 who also used to be a teacher \u2013\u00a0has been busily preparing for his slap bang send off, which is slated for the ensuing Friday.\u00a0Edward is looking forward to the recognition and praise for a job well done.<\/p>\n

Their daughter, Anna (Jessica Clarke), pays them a visit and receives a frosty reception, to say the least.\u00a0Mum Maureen \u2013 she and Anna face off in the first quarter hour of the production \u2013 quickly makes it clear she is not welcome.\u00a0What greets Anna is quite a commotion.\u00a0Her parents\u2019 front window is boarded up and there\u2019s a vocal student build up outside.\u00a0It soon becomes clear why.<\/p>\n

In researching the deputy head\u2019s background, the fact that he was the responsible for dishing out corporal punishment (he wielded the cane) to literally hundreds of students decades earlier is uncovered.\u00a0Now dozens of contemporary pupils \u2013 averaging 100 a day \u2013 have been gathering outside Edward\u2019s home, hurling stones, bricks and abuse.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photos by Jodie Hutchinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Further, inspectors have produced a damning report on the school, indicating it is letting down its students.\u00a0The writing appears to be on the wall that this large centre for learning will be recatagorised as an academy school, that is an autonomous, independent, state-funded institution.\u00a0Academies were introduced in 2000 with the aim of identifying and taking over failing schools in order to improve academic and employment outcomes for their pupils.\u00a0Edward is preparing his own report rebutting the inspectors\u2019 findings.\u00a0Mind you, it won\u2019t have any effect on the outcome.<\/p>\n

Edward and Maureen haven\u2019t exactly had a smooth relationship with their daughter, who was an angry and volatile child.\u00a0With an axe in hand, she chased her father, swinging it and taking that axe to a wall, smashed glass and was prone to fits of pique.\u00a0The residual resentment felt by her parents remains.<\/p>\n

For all intents and purposes, the pair is estranged from their daughter, who is now a part of the academy system, which preaches what is termed an \u201ceyes forward\u201d approach to its students.\u00a0Anna has two children who she is raising on her own because her former partner exited the scene, but her parents show no signs of wanting to know their grandkids.<\/p>\n

\"\"The environment is tense and unforgiving \u2013 Edward and Maureen have been holed up, without daring to step outside their front door, for six days \u2013 as they await the arrival of the head of school in preparation for Friday\u2019s send off.\u00a0The number of students gathered at their home has reached a record couple of hundred.\u00a0Accusations fly from all three players as shocking revelations abound.\u00a0Is Edward a bully? Did he and Maureen ever really want or love their daughter? Does Anna have an ulterior motive for visiting them today?<\/p>\n

At the centre of all the intrigue is a cane and a black ledger listing all those that received punishment, but there is a lot more to this story.\u00a0Who would have thought anyone could craft such an emotion charged and compelling piece from a pretty straightforward contention? Playwright Mark Ravenhill has certainly done that and the tension is taut throughout.\u00a0At its core, The Cane is about how things used to be done compared to how they are done now.\u00a0What may have been considered reasonable in the past is totally unacceptable today.<\/p>\n

The Cane is very much a story of our times.\u00a0Just look around and see what behaviour and which attitudes are rightly being called out daily.\u00a0The Cane is also about the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, characterised by three strong and accomplished performances.\u00a0Each find their moments to shine, alternately domineering, compliant and submissive.<\/p>\n

\"\"The simple set design by Lara Week, showing a rundown old house in desperate need of some TLC, works well.\u00a0The piece unfolds in two scenes over 100 minutes, with the actors literally moving the furniture around in short time about midway through.\u00a0The Cane grips from its opening and then bites down hard.\u00a0Directed by Kirsten von Bibra, it is playing at Red Stitch Theatre until 9th May.<\/p>\n

Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Power and control shift constantly in the drama The Cane, which is set in England.\u00a0On the verge of retirement after 45 years in the job, Edward (Dion Mills) is a deputy school head.\u00a0It is Sunday and his wife, Maureen (Caroline Lee) \u2013 who also used to be a teacher \u2013\u00a0has been busily preparing for his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":136748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[801],"tags":[6405,6406,3,5981,6404,3231,6403],"class_list":["post-136747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-caroline-lee","tag-dion-mills","tag-drama","tag-jessica-clarke","tag-mark-ravenhill","tag-red-stitch-theatre","tag-the-cane"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Cane (Red Stitch Theatre) - theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-cane-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Cane (Red Stitch Theatre) - 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Video recorded of the incident went viral, but now she is desperate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rsz_1job_red_stitch_photo_sarah_walker-8442.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rsz_1job_red_stitch_photo_sarah_walker-8442.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rsz_1job_red_stitch_photo_sarah_walker-8442.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rsz_1job_red_stitch_photo_sarah_walker-8442.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":160406,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/iphigenia-in-splott-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":136747,"position":2},"title":"Iphigenia in Splott (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I saw Red Stitch\u2019s Iphigenia in Splott three years ago and thought it was one of the finest productions I had seen. This return season serves to reinforce my original sentiment. What an ordeal! If Iphigenia in Splott is tough to watch because of the material it covers, just imagine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_5.jpg?fit=560%2C374&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138169,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/iphigenia-in-splott-red-stitch-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":136747,"position":3},"title":"Iphigenia in Splott (Red Stitch Theatre)","author":"Alex First","date":"June 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"What an ordeal!\u00a0If Iphigenia in Splott is tough to watch because of the material it covers, just imagine what it would be like for the lone actor on stage who gives one of the greatest performances I have seen.\u00a0It is 90 minutes of dense verbiage, accented and delivered at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_6-2.jpg?fit=800%2C607&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_6-2.jpg?fit=800%2C607&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_6-2.jpg?fit=800%2C607&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/rsz_red_stitch_-_iphigenia_in_splott_-_credit_-_jodie_hutchinson_-_6-2.jpg?fit=800%2C607&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":140672,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/heroes-of-the-fourth-turning-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":136747,"position":4},"title":"Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Red Stitch Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"March 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Catholic guilt and US conservative politics are given a whack in the Australian premiere of Will Arbery\u2019s Heroes of the Fourth Turning.\u00a0The play was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is late at night in Wyoming. Seven years after they graduated from a small Catholic college\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rsz_1red_stitch_-_heroes_of_the_fouth_turning_-_5_-_credit_jodie_hutchinson_.jpg?fit=800%2C601&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rsz_1red_stitch_-_heroes_of_the_fouth_turning_-_5_-_credit_jodie_hutchinson_.jpg?fit=800%2C601&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rsz_1red_stitch_-_heroes_of_the_fouth_turning_-_5_-_credit_jodie_hutchinson_.jpg?fit=800%2C601&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rsz_1red_stitch_-_heroes_of_the_fouth_turning_-_5_-_credit_jodie_hutchinson_.jpg?fit=800%2C601&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":164346,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/honour-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":136747,"position":5},"title":"Honour (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"March 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It is such a clich\u00e9, but trust the magnificent wordsmith in Joanna Murray-Smith to give it so much edge and polish. I speak of an older man leaving his long-term wife for a younger woman. In this case, it is a feted journalist married to a writer \u2013 a poet,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}