Kate Williams and Jeremy Waters Photo: Vanessa Wright
The powerhouse production, A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes, opened at The Old Fitz theatre in Woolloomooloo on Friday night. Written by the Chicago-based Joshua Rollins, this is the first time it has been performed in Australia.
Audiences will love this thrilling cautionary tale of how one arbitrary event, such as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, can profoundly affect people and entangle the lives of many.
The play is packed with all the makings of a good neo noir: violence, sex and an everyday man who happens to be the last person seen talking to an undercover female officer who is now missing.
Kate Williams and Jeremy Waters Photo: Vanessa Wright
The fast dialogue and even faster scene jumps lend the play a cinematic feeling, but Girl with sun in her eyes is far more riveting than any blockbuster. This is in large measure due to the passionate performances of the cast members – Kate Williams, Ezekiel Simat, Martin Crewes, Jeremy Waters, Gabrielle Rogers and Kai Paynter.After sitting in the front row, I would argue that you haven’t really experienced theatre until you’ve been spat on by the actors.
The two standouts are Jeremy Waters whose everyday man comes across as a bit of a weasel but manages to evoke empathy, and Kate Williams who plays the hardened female officer trapped in thankless undercover work.
While A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes is thrilling and fun, both writer Joshua Rollins and director Andrew Henry have disappointingly not tried to subvert the neo noir genre in any way. This makes for some predictable settings and two-dimensional characters. Audiences will not be surprised but crime lovers will love it nonetheless.
A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes is at the Old Fitz theatre, Woolloomooloo, until November 14.
