Left – Shari Sebbens and James Bell. Cover – Melodie Reynolds-Diarra, Geoff Morrell and Tony Briggs. Photos – Prudence UptonFarce and furious, Nakkiah Lui's seriously side splitting Black is the New White is an edifyingly entertaining experience.
Race is front and centre, and race is the pace set by director Paige Rattray in this peerless production with pitch perfect performances and excellent production values.
In a Guess Who's coming To Dinner race reversal, sharp legal practitioner Charlotte brings home her affianced, meek musician, Francis, to meet her folks, Ray and Joan, Aboriginal activists now settled into a comfy middle class affluence. Also in attendance is Charlotte's sister Rose and her husband, Sonny.
It's Christmas, but both Ray and Rose are definitely not dreaming of a white Christmas. Further strain is applied to the occasion by the invitation to, and reluctant acceptance of, Francis' parents, Dennison and Marie, white middle class conservatives. What ensues is a festive season frisson where secrets, lies, and inconvenient truths surface in a rollicking fusion of ethics, ethnicity, race, culture, gender, sexuality, music and dance.
Lui's script sparkles with acute personality and social observation, measured malapropism, affectionate nod to rom com tropes and all the fun and frenzy of food fight.
Shari Sebbens continues her ascendency as one of our ace actresses, grounding the production as Charlotte and juggling a journey arc that navigates pre nuptial euphoria with filial disaffection.
James Bell is awesome as the awfully awkward Francis, who takes his foot from his mouth only to use it as a shovel to dig a deeper hole.
Tony Briggs and Melodie Reynolds-Diarra as Ray and Joan are wonderful as the oil and water couple, he brash and self centred – “Ray, you're giving your ego a hard on” admonishes Joan after a speechifying tirade – while she is centred and openly embracing.
Ray's Martin Luther King complex blinds him to Joan's colossal contribution to his success on the political stage, a success based on Joan's speech-writing prowess.
Charlotte is much closer to her mother in temperament and personality, whereas Rose is the strident anti Colonial clone of her father, and Kylie Bracknell let's it rip as the fashionista with a racial purity agenda.
As her affable hubby, Sonny, Anthony Taufu is the epitome of his character's name, sharing the same philanthropic values as Charlotte.
Geoff Morrell and Vanessa Downing as Francis' parents are a comic treat. Morrell's Dennison is a stitched up white bred, white bread emotion-phobe whose neglect of wife and son are coming home to roost. His vocal sparring and dad dancing duelling with Brigg's are exquisite examples of verbal and physical comedy.
Downing is delightful as Marie in a fey, deftly daffy, and affectingly precise performance of character epiphany.
Luke Carroll brings a cheeky Puckishness to his role as Narrator, a singular chorus of background briefing and astute observance.
Renee Mulder's sumptuous split level set is an inspired conceptualisation of aspiration and affluence, a comfort zone that devolves into a combat zone and is subtly lit by Ben Hughes.
There's a splendid aural quality to this production too that is intrinsic to the staging with kudos to composer and sound designer Steve Toulmin.
Commissioned by the Sydney Theatre Company with the support of the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, Black Is The New White is a joyous, jolly jape with some gentle jabs and a knock out delivery.
Sydney Theatre Company presents
Black is the New White
by Nakkiah Lui
Director Paige Rattray
Venue: Wharf 1 | Sydney Theatre Company, The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay
Dates: 5 May – 17 June 2017
Tickets: $99 – $75
Bookings: 02 9250 1777 | www.sydneytheatre.com.au
