Review: The Norman Mailer Anecdote - Queensland Theatre (Door 3)

Written by Grace Wilson

The Norman Mailer Anecdote, produced by Big Scary Animal kicked off Queensland Theatre’s Door 3 program with hard-hitting questions, complex narratives, and well-rounded performances. The Door 3 program, new to Queensland Theatre in 2024, gives space for emerging artists to create and perform pitched work with support and space contributed by Queensland Theatre. For a premiere program of this size, it was a waiting game to see how high the bar would be set, and Big Scary Animal set the precedent for Door 3 works to come. 

The Norman Mailer Anecdote by Anthony Mullins explores ideas of sexual assault and the relationships that come apart in times of crisis. The work itself was confronting - it tackled these ideas through a lens of upper middle-class Australia, specifically Brisbane, and used both the lens of legal terminology and creative writing to create a wide scope when approaching the program. 

The cast itself was intimate and connected - standout performances were delivered by both Hattie Cleg-Robinson and Zoe Houghton. Cleg-Robinson nailed the teenager-angst that Mullins set out with their creation of Samantha, and Houghton followed through as a strong mother figure but also a smart and witty businessperson. Together as mother and daughter, their connection was complex and well-fleshed out, and both performers shared a genuine respect for one another on stage. Christopher Sommers delivered a strong performance but lacked the visible connection that their cast mates shared. It felt like watching an outsider who had stepped onto the stage - there was definitely room for improvement. 

Lighting design by Teegan Kranenburg was well thought out and masterful - using LED strips and poignant coloured lights to set the feel of the show. Set design by Madeleine Barlow was well executed and detailed, giving an immediate sense of upper-class Brisbane that we all know in some shape or form. Asymmetrical design, obnoxiously large artworks - the production design was what cradled this show together. However, it was the music composition and sound design by Morgan Francis that gave so much depth to the show - using beautifully composed tracks that sent us spiraling into this world and into the turmoil that these characters faced. 

The production team should be truly commended as the backbone of this production. The Norman Mailer Anecdote has set the bar high for what else emerging and independent artists in Brisbane can achieve with state company backing. Considering the complex nature of this text, all creatives on this project handled it with wisdom and insight that should be commended by all who see this production.