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Tiger Country | Maelstrom Productions & Griffin Stablemates |
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Written by Helen Barry
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Thursday, 06 December 2007 |
 Left - Josef Ber. Cover - Matt Moore
What’s the difference between real life (when terrible things happen)
and a bad soap opera? Well, I guess it’s the context – one is true and
the other is fiction – but it’s also the way things are handled. In
fact, it’s probably the first thing most writers are told in any
creative workshop – don’t attempt anything ‘too big’ or you’ll fall
into the realms of melodrama. But, every so often (and probably with a
great deal of trepidation) a writer will have a crack at ‘the big
things’ - and good on them really, why not? Truth is indeed stranger
than fiction, or at least it’s as strange here in Jonathan Gavin’s new
play, Tiger Country.
We open on a very bogan Christmas with the Unwins. There’s Eddie (Josef
Ber), who’s just out of jail after doing eight months and his young
preggie wife Kylie (Eve Morey), who’s ready to pop, but still keen to
get home and watch her favourite soap ‘The Bold and The Beautiful.’
Eddie’s younger brother Howl (Matthew Moore) - who’s so simple that he
insists on wearing his ugg boots even though it’s a forty degree
scorcher - is completely under the thumb of Rachelle (Nicole Winkler) who’s a ball
breaker. Rounding out the brood is the enigmatic and ever so creepy
Chuckles (James Evans), who arrives late for lunch, but in plenty of
time to cause trouble.
While it’s definitely a captivating tale of family, violence and
betrayal - with a serial killer thrown in for good measure - what makes
Tiger Country a curious choice as a new work is that it isn’t an
entirely new story per se. There are obvious parallels to the Milat
case and the three brothers themselves are eerily similar to ‘The
Boys’, but what is different is the way the material is treated – it’s
a comedy, (well at least it is in the first act, things take a rather
nasty turn in act two.) Gavin’s dialogue is crisp and bitterly black,
it’s slightly crass for some tastes, but it’s wonderfully irreverent
and Australian.
There’s a feast of strong believable performances here. Josef Ber is
truly excellent as the manipulative sex-crazed Eddie, who’s a dangerous
animal and doesn’t mind his sex with a bit of violence. (Be warned, the
violence, when it comes is explicit and raw, but it’s appropriately
handled by director John Sheedy.) Nicole Winkler is gutsy and brilliant
as the domineering Rachelle, it’s a stand out performance. Matthew
Moore is hilarious and yet tender as Howl, who is the most
compassionate of the brothers and the only one capable of anything
remotely like human compassion. Eve Morey has the bogan accent down pat
as Kylie and brings emotional depth to a character who could have
easily fallen into the bimbo basket. James Evans has the hardest task
with Chuckles, but he does a nice job, within the confines of the role.
The structure of the play is tighter than a drum, not a scene goes to
waste and although we anticipate where it’s heading, there’s a
vicarious attentiveness as the strange and macabre events unfold. Early
on we find out that two backpackers are missing and we have a fair idea
of who’s to blame, but our interest is sustained by the unpredictable
responses of the characters who are incredibly watchable.
There’s spooky silhouetted lighting (Bernie Tan) and a layered
soundscape (Robin McCarthy) that adds to the experience significantly.
While the set design (Brad Clark) is simple, it’s clever in it’s
functionality, which allows seamless transitions between households.
Perhaps the promising young playwright, Jonathan Gavin, has succeeded
in creating a new genre here - the horror soap? Either way, it’s a cut
above ‘The Bold and The Beautiful.’
Maelstrom Productions and Griffin Stablemates present the World premiere of
TIGER COUNTRY
By Jonathan Gavin
Venue: SBW Stables Theatre | 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross NSW 2011
Dates: 29 November – 22 December 2007
Times: Monday Pay-What-You-Can at 6:30pm. Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm. Saturday Matinee at 2pm
Prices: Full $29. Snr $25. Preview/Conc. $22. Under 30 $25 (booking fees may apply)
Monday Pay-What-You-Can performances are min $10, max 2 tickets.
Bookings: 1300 306 776 or online at www.griffintheatre.com.au
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