Adelaide Reviews

From the moment that you take your seat in the Dunstan Playhouse to see this production, you will be aware, well before the start of the play, as the audience comes in, that this is going to be an unusual piece of theatre. On a wide open, bare stage, where the backstage and wings areas are fully visible and apparently lit by a single globe, the cast is seen moving about, disporting various 19^th century under garments, all doing their individual verbal and physical warmups.

Soon we are transported to Victorian London and its fog, and the actual costumes (by Ailsa Paterson) are revealed in their excellently scruffy Victorian glory, as Jack Maggs (Mark Saturno) emerges out of the fog and the story begins.

The story is a packed jigsaw of inter-related pieces which eventually do begin to fit together. It is introduced by Mercy Larkin, the story teller/narrator, nicely played by Ahunim Abebe. In many ways she is perfect for this role, as well as the complex of other central roles demanded of her. The combination of her Cockney accent and rapidity of delivery, however, at first made her narration sometimes a little unclear.

Clarity of diction was not a problem with the majority of the cast. Most spoke with a studied, even stylised deliberateness, which fitted with the flamboyant and energetic dramatic gestures, and which together emphasised the jigsaw nature of the pieces of this plot, as they were drawn together into a complex fit.

Some of the complexities of this plot revealed not only the seamy side of the streets of Victorian London, but even moreso, the cruelty, pain and oppression inflicted on convicts in the colony of New South Wales. It touches on many challenging issues, such as illegitimacy, torture, murder, trickery, betrayal, power struggles and blackmail, which are all part of the history of Jack Maggs, which he is struggling to work through in his search for his son, his self, and for reality. After some 20 years in the convict colony he has returned to London, where he feels he really belongs, but harbours his anger at England who trained him as a thief, deserted him, and banished him as a convict. This struggle is a tour-de force for Mark Saturno, who masterfully wears the range of emotions implied.

James Smith is another very energetic, precise and commanding actor who shines in a the central role of Tobias Oates, who dabbles with mesmerism and other kinds of trickery in the guise of helping Jack to find himself.

This world premiere production is clearly the result of excellent teamwork with the entire company. The whole vibrant cast of well trained and directed (by Geordie Brookman) actors are well supported by apposite lighting (Nigel Levings) including some shadow play, a dramatic soundscape (Andrew Howard), remarkable sets (Ailsa Paterson), and music by local composer Hilary Kleinig. Altogether, it is a significant achievement for South Australian theatre: a play which shows “acceptance, because of our complexities, not in spite of them’’, and ”some of the joy, silliness, heart, and endless possibility at the heart of live theatre,” as Brookman put it.

Like life, it is a jigsaw puzzle – do go and see what you can make of this important addition to the canon of Australian theatre.