Brisbane Arts Theatre kicks off February with a kitchen sink drama which has all the trappings of the genre.
Marital disharmony, the looming presence of an upcoming tragic death and social issues dissected through the microcosm of one family’s experience.
For some this genre can be comfort food, a note of comparison where one can reflect on their own family: “Hey at least we’re not that bad!”. For others, it can be cathartic to know that we all have our problems. Parents Bob (Alex Lanham) and Fran Price (Cathy Stanley) have raised their four kids and are now of retirement age, yet life goes on. Kids grow up but worrying about them never stops.
This is a rich text from Andrew Bovell that will resonate with most audiences, although sadly, on opening night too often the actors made mistakes in their line delivery. This did take one out of the story. Too often it was apparent that actors were waiting for cues and delivering words written by a playwright, rather than disappearing into the moment and coming across as organically having a conversation or argument.
Alex's scenes with Cathy were the strongest of the show as their discussions felt real and in the moment, from both of them. Carlee Stockall was strong as troubled older sister Pip playing a very complicated woman who is looking for love in all the wrong places, but recognising the value that it holds for her in the moment. Eleni Koutsoukis as youngest child Rosie eyeballed the audience in her monologues, connecting with them and conveying the emotional truth of the character. Rosie is the witness, she is always there and she is the only one out of all of them who is loved and loves unconditionally.
Henry Fallows as son Ben and Luke Friedman as son Mark effectively inhabit the emotional vulnerabilities and circumstances of their characters. You can see why they were cast in the roles and they no doubt will continue to get better. Cathy Stanley as the matriarch has maybe the toughest role, and her performance is so good it is worth the price of admission alone.
For such an intimate drama set around the home, Taylah Karpowicz doesn’t just use lighting to reflect different times of day but delves into the abstract to evoke different moods and underline dramatic moments.
If the text of the play is nothing new, then the nuance of it is a little more fresh. There are no easy answers in ‘Things I Know To Be True’, no moralising and no clear-cut message. Did Fran and Bob love their kids too much or not enough? Is it just tougher to get ahead in this world, or are we seeking more than what our parents had? Should we really be surprised to learn they wanted more too?
One answer the show possibly hints at, is that old chestnut, “Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?”.
Call your family tonight, make plans to see them soon – even the ones who drive you crazy. . . Maybe especially them.
