“Across the Great Dividing Range there is an even greater divide”. It is a divide between white and black, between past and present, between the haves and have-nots. And in this place the neutral ground where divisions do not matter is the climbing tree. A place – a haven – where four high school students struggle to cross the divide and deal with problems both adolescent and adult.
Kylie (Jayla-Shae Davey) is fighting for not only recognition of Aboriginal past, but a place in the present as the high school captain. Her cousin Scott (Janda Nichols) has a football scholarship at the private school and Kylie is determined he should use this as a way of escaping the cycle of poverty and small time criminality that traps the disenfranchised. Kylie’s best friend is “white trash” Rayleen ( Madelaine Osborn) or “Rails” who is burdened by a drug-addict of a mother and dependent younger sister and no money. She is however, adored by Will (Jack Walton), local pastoral aristocracy and Scott’s best friend. It is a strong ensemble who have good chemistry and who give focused performances for the most part, only lapsing at times when they have to enact interviews as characters from the area’s past. Here the performances are less certain and a little unsteady.
Some of this may be due to script problems. Whilst this is a researched, developed script there are problems in the way it flicks to the past and the ending seems somewhat laboured. It has several false endings and there is an air of uncertainty in those last five minutes. On the whole though, it moves at a cracking pace and the whole production is made delightful by Walton’s wonderfully awkward, nerdy Will. Walton is a real talent to be watched – this young actor should go far. He inhabits the character to his fingertips in what is the best youth performance I have seen this year.
A very effective and deceptively simple set design (Karl Shead) serves the play well. The characters climb up and over the abstract tree, from which, it seems, young men were hanged in the dark history of the town. It is both a physical and metaphorical space. And the colours are evocative of that west which is not the outback. In a dark corner sits Tim Hansen – multi-tasking rather well as the voice of authority, musician and sound effects.
Several forces have come together to produce this new work: Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and ATYP most notable. Riverside Theatre is offering support. It is a touring show – so may spring up in lots of places. It is important we support the voices of new writers (Rachael Coopes) because they bring us new perspectives and awareness. An added bonus – you will see the beginning of a stellar career in Jack Walton.
Kath Stratford – On The Town
The Climbing Tree
Rachael Coopes
22 – 24 Nov 2017
Thu – Sat 7:30pm
Thur 11am matinee
Venue: Riverside: Lennox Theatre
Theatre Company: Riverside Theatres and Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre in association with Australian Theatre for Young People
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (No interval)
