Stephen Carleton's 'Bastard Territory' was recognised if not victorious in competitions in 2011 and 2012 but didn't come to life as drama until it premiered in 2014 in Darwin (where it is largely set).
'Bastard Territory' is intriguing and entertaining and has great potential, but this production presents like an almost great novel that needed a better editor.
Last year it had a successful run in Cairns and much of the cast has remained the same as QTC bring it to Brisbane. 'Bastard Territory' is an ambitious play that asks interesting questions about white Australia and its relationship to its own black people and near neighbours. It looks at history and personal history, forces of change and stability, identity and empathy between people and peoples. It has a broad sweep of place as well as theme and a slightly innocent style. But like Lois' naive and colourful paintings it seems to exude self-expression yet doesn't quite pull it together into great art.
The play is often funny and quite inventive, if not exactly revolutionary, and uses different dramatic devices and styles to underline and draw attention to its themes. The exploration of identity and parentage (Freudian quips aside – and yes he does the quips) is reflected by the main character, Russel, playing both his child self in the drama and the three men who could be his father. He is also the narrator and semi-merges that role with the position of the playwright, commenting on how various characters have been represented in his over-disclosing gay style. The story is a good one too: the liberal wife forced to flee the social disapproval of colonial PNG by her husband shortly before independence; the adopted kid who discovers he isn't just before his biological mother leaves.
It's rich material – almost too rich. Despite the huge drama it's not always compelling. The play tries to do too much in time, space and parallels. It loses impact when the inconsistencies are neither highlighted, nor quite tied up. It loses pace when Russel has to explain his emotions and motivation during each scene (or comment again, and again, on the parallels with Tennessee Williams). It loses attention in its ordering of the story. The play doesn't start with the catalysts for Russel re-exploring his family history, so going through the minutiae can seem pointlessly indulgent.
Russel/ various possible fathers is an exceedingly demanding part. Benhur Helwend gives it a good shot. He almost pulls off the attention-grabbing drag queen while trying to upstage his dad's retirement, but this and even greater assuredness is needed for his exposé of his own drama. Helwend's Russel isn't out there enough (maybe opening night nerves?). The narration is often a dialogue – constantly seeking reassurance while intimately confiding in the audience. However Helwend's tone doesn't assume support must be given, that he can command the action and our sympathy. As narrator he doesn't play the self-absorbed gay dramatist the drama describes. The rest of the cast are quite strong if a little prone to declamation (maybe the play within the play effect or the strong leaning to caricature?)
There are moments when the social commentary shines in 'Bastard Territory'; like when the young Neville (Russel's dad) describes the Canberra types coming north to do their righteous two years in the territory, and in doing so mirrors the colonial attitude his Australian set had to the Papua New Guineans. And moments of clarity on personal politics, such as when Russel says he never forgave his dad, not for the breakage of his life and marriage, but for not trying to mend them.
Ultimately the play frustrates the insights it builds with plot holes that are badly stitched and when Neville claims the good guy status at the end: Lois abandoning her son is hard to believe. Moreover Neville showed no acceptance or affection for Russel as a child (or indeed his wife post marriage) He simply hung around - essentially negative - until the end.
'Bastard Territory' is enjoyable and thought-provoking but it is a little too contrived to deeply move.
‘Bastard Territory’ performs Queensland Theatre Company until 16 April.
