Left – Jeremy Waters. Cover – Charlotte Hazzard. Photos – Helen WhiteMichael Apted has been revisiting a bunch of kids every seven years since he started 7 UP in 1964. The 7 UP series seems an obvious inspiration for Australian playwright Nick Enright to pen A Man With Five Children a couple of decades later.
Film diarist and documentarian, Gerry (Jeremy Waters) convinces a group of five seven year olds to be his subjects for one day each year until they reach twenty-one.
He doesn’t buy into the “give me a child until the age of 7 and I will give you the person” mantra, but believes his project will depict the evolution of these children, and how they will change over time.
There's Roger (Jemwel Danao) with a Malaysian father and Filipina mother, who was born in Australia, and rightly considers himself Australian.
Cameron (Taylor Wiese) is an Anglo with agro who refutes Roger's claim to identify as an Australian because he is a “slant-eyed slope”. His warped perception of what an Australian is markedly vile in his non acceptance of Jessie's (Chenoa Deemal) claim, as she is Aboriginal, and “boongs” don’t count as Australians.
More acceptable in Cam's eyes is Zoe (Jody Kennedy) whose aspirations go no further than being a groupie for a drug addled musician and Susannah (Charlotte Hazzard) a precocious French speaker who is clear about her career path as a medico of some sort, but harbours a desire for poetry.
These five become a blended family – gay, straight, Aboriginal, Asian, male, female, sporty, arty, academic and not – with Gerry as the father figure. Or Big Brother? A close up of his face projected onto a back wall conjures 1984, and manipulation of the truth is his thing.
Gerry is the retaining wall of the structure based on the five pillars of his project but there are cracks he doesn’t see. His focus on fostering Cam's talent and potential as a professional footballer blinds him to the needs of Roger. And his paternal persona is challenged and confronted by Jessie and Susannah. Subjectivity and objectivity blur.
As time passes and the original contracted period is extended, the family grows.
Zoe takes a partner, Doug (Anthony Taufa) and has a child. Cam marries Annie (Ildiko Susany) and likewise procreates. And Jessie teams up with Theo (Aaron Tsindos), a besotted and devoted chef.
Gerry calls the quintet his subjects, and the play explores the objectification that each of them endures, and the personal impact on both master and topic.
The ensemble work of the cast is of high calibre led by Jeremy Waters' pied piper picture maker – his impassioned vocal pipes imploring “Give me your children” at the beginning of the play becomes a plaintive refrain by the end.
Anthony Skuse uses projected images of his casts to great effect mostly – kudos here to AV Designer, Tim Hope – although towards the end they seem slightly over egged and padded. The production has opted for a distracting and feverish jungle drum sound scape that tends to telegraph emotion and overwhelm dialogue.
Minor quibbles for a production that is brim full of integrity and authenticity within an exploration of the manipulation of truth and identity.
Darlinghurst Theatre Company presents
A MAN WITH FIVE CHILDREN
by Nick Enright
Director Anthony Skuse
Venue: Eternity Playhouse | 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst NSW
Dates: 3 – 26 Jun 2016
Tickets: $30 – $45
Bookings: www.darlinghursttheatre.com
