The Sydney premiere of Mary Anne Butler’s The Sound of Waiting at the Eternity Playhouse produced an intense night of theatre.
Under the able direction of Suzanne Pereira this two-hander manages to take the audience beyond the walls of an inner city theatre and out into a frightening landscape of war zones and perilous seas, aided by set and video designer Sam James, sound designer Tegan Nicholls, and lighting designer Chris Page.
But the success of this transformation relies heavily on two very capable actors– Reza Momenzada as Hamed Mokri and Gabrielle Scawthorn as the Angel of Death – who rise to the demands of an intense and poetic script that challenges the audience to engage with its at times esoteric script. But the effort is worth it.
This Darlinghurst Theatre Company production presents the plight of refugees in a much wider narrative of struggle for survival against the forces of nature and the selfishness of humanity.
Against this tapestry of human weakness is the ultimately optimistic message of the enduring human spirit, embodied in the power of Mokri’s love for his daughter and his inspiring will to survive.
The play (by playwright, Mary Anne Butler who won the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Literature and Drama, for Broken) was written in response to Tony Abbott’s astonishing comment that, “Jesus knew there was a place for everything and it’s not everyone’s place to come to Australia”.
My only concern at the end of this theatre experience was how could the cast possibly maintain this level of emotional intensity throughout the entire season.
I’m sure they’ll manage.
The Sound of Waiting plays at the Eternity Theatre, 339 Burton Street, Darlinghurst until April 22.
