Skip to main content

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.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Big Yikes // Playlab Theatre

  Written by Jake Goodall Growing up can often feel like navigating through uncharted territory, with uncertainties looming at every turn. Big Yikes! encapsulates this sentiment within a concise 90-minute production, weaving the relatable journey of Loxie as she ventures into the complexities of adulthood. From grappling with identity to confronting the daunting questions of purpose and direction.  Reinventing herself to evade being reduced to mere stereotypes, Loxie embarks on a tumultuous period of transition—graduating from school, stepping into her first job, and embarking on the quest for independence while awaiting university acceptances. Set against the backdrop of a dilapidated share house and the tumult of tangled relationships, Big Yikes! delves into the nuances of boundary-setting, decision-making, and self-discovery, all while injecting doses of humor and heartbreak into its storytelling. Written by Madeleine Border, the script's casual tone serves as an accessible...
Post a Comment
Read more

Article: Circa turns 20! // Circa

  Australia’s mighty circus company CIRCA is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2024. It was on March 31, 2004, that Circa, then an ensemble of three, performed its first show. Fast forward twenty years, and Circa is an ensemble of thirty, with five full time directors and designers; from its original base in Brisbane, Circa now has additional homes in Cairns and satellite bases around the world.   Firmly established as one of the world’s leading performance companies, over the past two decades, the company has achieved remarkable success to become Australia’s most internationally toured performing arts company, performing in over 45 countries, to nearly 2 million people and attracting superlative reviews wherever it goes.   In 2024, Circa is delivering a staggering 361 performances in 20 different countries 97 cities and towns. Australian highlights include the World Premiere of Dido and Aeneas, a new collaboration with Opera Queensland following January’s critically accla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Article: Free Dance Classes To Incentivise Boys to Dance - Queensland Ballet

This month Queensland Ballet launched The Ballet Boys Project , a series of initiatives designed to explore and address the decline of boys in ballet and dance. Since 2020, Queensland Ballet Academy has seen a 36% decline in male enrolments, a downward trend that Christian Tàtchev, Director of Queensland Ballet Academy, observes is evident across the professional training industry globally. Queensland Ballet Executive Director Dilshani Weerasinghe said the company is taking the decline seriously by taking a market leading stand and addressing what is potentially a sustainability issue for the artform. “As such, we are encouraging the dance and broader community to join this movement with us to ensure the tradition of ballet – although ever evolving, lives on with strong participation from male dancers,” Mrs Weerasinghe said. The company has established a The Boys in Ballet Committee to identifying the roadblocks and take action to address the issue. As the fi...
Post a Comment
Read more