Mark’s Score: 5 Stars
I would not normally sit in the first rows of any theatre, there is something in the safety of being among the collective. However, I urge you to be up front for Table – the tremendous new play on offer via Kim Hardwick’s White Box Company. It is thrilling to have this family saga played out at one’s feet – giving this reviewer a heightened opportunity to reminisce about familial foibles.
Table is a play like no other – 9 actors playing 23 characters from the inner and outer circles of the Best family. Through the machinations of a 120-year-period the one constant thing is a table, which is passed down the family line. It is also at times hijacked by others but always returning. This man-made thing (indeed created by 6th generation David Best) seems to talk and retain the twists and turns of this troubled clan. Every burn, scratch and injury the table has suffered connects to certain moments in this dynastic drama. This is an exciting stepping stone narrative technique from British playwright Tanya Ronder. The daughter of an accomplished writer for TV, and an actress herself she knows how to spin a yarn. I was riveted throughout by the faultless performances, the clarity in the direction and the economy in its design.
It may be challenging to some to stay on track with the who’s who in the many establishing scenes in Act 1, but fear not. Ronder plants enough information and clues in the dialogue for the audience to keep up. I advise to trust in the writing and the nuances in the acting and the clear presentation by Hardwick and her production creatives. Indeed it creates great interval chat in the swapping of details and meaning others may have missed. To comment too much on the plot is to spoil the event for the theatre-goer. What can be reviewed here is the exquisite soundscape by Nate Edmondston credited as Sound Designer, Composer and Musical Director. Martin Kinnane’s beautiful lighting frames each scene and adds meaning to Isabel Hudson’s harmonious design. Hudson always gets it right and her choice to not labour the evening with costume changes holds the show together via the use of the recurring palette of yellows, golds, ochres and tan. This colour scheme gives all the sense of time passing and the historic. Actors wear outfits ranging from the contemporary to something old world and rustic. A slight shift in wardrobe or added in accessory clearly and simply delineates time and location.
Playwright Tanya Ronder has done quite a few adaptations of other writers work and in this her own play has penned a brilliant piece for an ensemble of players. Being a performer herself she ensures no role is underwritten however giving us a few longer scenes for the audience to immerse themselves in and for resolution to occur. Julian Garner, Stacey Duckworth, and Danielle King are consistently on the ball with the story telling. They are magnificent actors who can move and amuse with equal talent. Chantelle Jamieson delights in all her roles, particularly moving in her “hope” scene. Annie Stafford, Mathew Lee, Charles Upton and Brendan Miles are actors whose work I am familiar with and astonish in creating fresh characterisation that shows off their individual skills. Nicole Pingon is a very watchable performer and elicits a lot from her Su-Lin character.
Accent work is spot on so kudos to the cast and vocal coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley. Although a slim-lined production it is still a busy one backstage – bravos to stage manager Jodi Rabinowitz and production manager Gundega Lapsa.
As stated rarely do I sit in the front and moreover infrequently do I return to see a play in the same season. I will make an exception this time as this wonderful theatre piece deserves a second viewing as it is so rich in its story-telling. Not to be missed under any circumstances.
Mark G Nagle – Theatre Now
Table
Tanya Ronder
25 Jul – 17 Aug 2019
Tuesday to Saturday 7:30pm
Saturdays Matinees 2pm and 11am
Venue: Seymour Centre
Theatre Company: White Box Theatre
Duration: N/A
In 1898 master craftsman David Best makes a table to celebrate his marriage. In Tanganyika in the 1950s, the Bests’ missionary grand-daughter, Sarah, stands atop the table and voluntarily disrobes in front of the hunter who has saved her from a leopard attack. Later, Sarah and her son Gideon join a 1960s commune. And in south London in 2013, the globe-trotting Gideon finally confronts the family he abandoned years ago to discover a likeable brat in a flamingo pink tutu spouting Mandarin Chinese.
Through it all David’s table is the centre of family rituals, meals and secrets, where couples have sex, where children play, where a corpse is laid out, where songs are sung and names are carved deep in to its grooves. Each mark is a point in time, each scratch a moment lost but not forgotten.
Set and Costume Designer Isabel Hudson, Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane, Composer and Sound Designer Nate Edmondson.
Cast: Julian Garner, Chantelle Jamieson, Danielle King, Mathew Lee, Brendan Miles, Nicole Pingon, Annie Stafford, Kaitlyn Thor, Charles Upton.
Ticket Prices
Full $45
Concession $35
