Sydney Reviews

Edgell Junior wrote and crafted The River that Ran Uphill and it is a powerful, poetic and playful piece of theatre. The creativity of the production provides a strong back bone for Junior’s story from the soul. In 2015 Cyclone Pam ravaged the South Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati and New Zealand. It was one of the worst natural disasters of the South Pacific and its destruction was devastating. The River that Ran Uphill explores Junior’s experience of Cyclone Pam and effects on his island home, Vanuatu.

The play begins before you walk in the door. A ball is kicked around and the goal post is a milk crate turned side on. It’s an almost normal scene. Something you’d see almost anywhere on the planet yet there is something amiss. It is a slightly chaotic set with tarps, loose parts and makeshift structures that don’t have defining features. It is playful with a whisper of something unsettled. This discord runs throughout the show. There is a joyful exuberance paired with mastery in crafting both physical and emotional platforms. Yet there are constant shadows and an unspoken force that lurks beneath. 

The Slingsby’s Flying Squad are behind props and sets that are wickedly clever. The previously undefined makes sense as it transforms into parts of the narrative. A plastic barrel with a picture of a man’s face becomes Antonio the IT guy, a friend in the middle of a terrifying moment. Lights are used to cast beautiful shadows of mother and son, reuniting and lovingly connecting. What you thought were just scraps of corrugated metal become a door, a roof and the walls of a shelter that hold the stories of people taking refuge from the wild winds and flying debris that the cyclone whips up. 

But it is Junior who feeds the light and tames the dark. He is the man in control of the power and he knows when to unleash it on us to make us feel it and how to pull it back before we get so overwhelmed we feel frozen. His story is about climate change. It is a vehement call to action as he weaves a sorrowful and heartbreaking truth into his theatre. The land that he once played soccer on is now under water, his home and heart are sinking into the rising sea. His line “Our smile depends on you,” still echoes in my ears and it is one of the most compelling calls to action I have heard. 

My daughter of 11 found the message hard to absorb. As a child she is often hearing about the world’s end and it weighs heavy on her young shoulders and so theatre can be a conduit to discussion, lifting the conversation out of the dark and into the light. There are good initiatives happening in the world and acknowledging that helps generate optimism. This piece of theatre was not designed to make her feel responsible but help her become a witness and an advocate for those who’s stories need telling.

The River that Ran Uphill is everything you want theatre to be. Thought provoking storytelling at its best.