“The on-site cast gets swallowed up by the set. I would go so far as to say this is the wrong venue for this work
“only (Charles) Wu has the acting chops to make the dramatic ‘human’ moments believable”
“I hope this cut short season is just the beginning for 宿 (stay). Certainly, any production from Shakthidharan and Kurinji deserves an audience.”
Veronica Hannon
2.5 / 5 stars
Western Sydney based company, Kurinji, wowed Sydney Festival audiences two years ago with Counting and Cracking. The multilingual, multi-generational epic featured an uncommonly large cast of actors and musicians from six countries. It shone a light on the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka and the experience of latter migrants to our shores. I recall that anyone I spoke to felt they had seen a piece of Australian theatre quite unlike any other – something quite special.
宿 (stay) is by the same writer, S Shakthidharan. And Kurinji (the company he co-founded) has joined with the Singapore-based ensemble SAtheCollective to present this new work. It is another story with its roots in the past, and the collaborators take a multidisciplinary approach to bring it to life. There is an interesting blend of live-action and recorded performance as well as dialogue, music, movement, and film.
The opening segment sees a lit flame appear to dance across the vast Carriageworks stage. Jasmin Shephard – seen in many senior artist roles with Bangarra Dance Theatre- is manipulating it. We soon learn the characters she inhabits, Violet and her great-great-grandmother, Daisy, are the beating heart of this tale as it flits back and forth between northern Queensland, circa 1890’s and the present, as well as modern-day Singapore. So as with Counting and Cracking, the setting(s) are former British colonies, and the legacy of empire is hovering beneath the surface of the action.
Three women – all strangers – from very different backgrounds form the spine of the work. Along with Violet, who has left Tagalaka land for Sydney and not returned, Thwayya (Aimee Falzon) is a Maltese/ Australian running a station on the same country. Four generations of her family have held the property. Still, now with the challenges of drought and floods topped off by the sudden death of her husband, she is looking to sell up. Then there is Tsuet-Cheng (Natalie Alexandra Tse), who has escaped poverty and become a corporate highflyer. She has recently flown from Sydney to Singapore for “tomb sweeping day”, but her son (Govin Tan) resents her little time for the living, her little time for him. Tsuet-Cheng is also in the dark about a forefather, An Hoo (Charles Wu), a prospector in Australia at the end of the 19th century. All three women are walking with their ancestors, even if they don’t know it. What brings them together is skeletal remains discovered in a dry creek bed.
The program states this is a personal piece for the ensemble, partly inspired by the lives of some members. That is a gift not to be underestimated. And indeed, Shakthidharan is blessed with an ear for stories. However, while thematically intriguing, there is only a sketchy exploration of those themes. The characters are similarly undercooked. The cavernous space suits the visual element of the show. Dale Ferguson’s design greatly assists Jeremy Chua’s film sequences. Karen Norris’s lighting dreamily evokes an open sky with a million stars. But this is not the case for the performers.
The on-site cast gets swallowed up by the set. I would go so far as to say this is the wrong venue for this work. And while their musical and movement talents are undeniable – Shephard is an exquisite dancer, Falzon has a lovely singing voice, Tse and Tan are accomplished musicians – only Wu has the acting chops to make the dramatic ‘human’ moments believable. The interrupted rehearsal period wouldn’t have helped, especially as director Shakthidharan keeps a lot of balls in the air but overall, the emotional impact is diminished.
I hope this cut short season is just the beginning for 宿 (stay). Certainly, any production from Shakthidharan and Kurinji deserves an audience.
Reviewer, Theatre Now
