Michael Smith, Rory Potter, Peter O’Brien and Trevor Jamieson in STC & Barking Gecko’s Storm Boy. Photo by Brett Boardman.
The mood at STC last Wednesday night was markedly more boisterous and lively than usual. There were kids everywhere. Four of them were hogging the only pool table in the bar area when I arrived, and more soft drinks and mini-burgers were bustling towards tables than beers or wines this night. The reason: a well-loved story that has been a hallmark of Australian children’s literature for years (later a film adaption just as beloved) which is now a stage production written by Tom Holloway – Colin Thiele’s Storm Boy.
A little boy and a pelican become the unlikely heroes in this wonderful tale set on a remote beach in South Australia. The child’s only human company are his father – a quiet fisherman driven to extreme introversion by life’s knockdowns – and ‘Fingerbone’ Bill, an Aboriginal man who also lives in isolation on the beach, but shares his knowledge of the land and wildlife unequivocally, with great warmth and humour. Despite his kind nature, the father is afraid of Fingerbone and aggressive initially, but the boy befriends him immediately – the story’s first nod towards the wisdom of children. All the characters learn about themselves through each other, and the audience observes the beauty of their relationships as they morph from mysterious and shaky, to loving and solid.
Director John Sheedy has brought something most incredible to this production that was absent from its film interpretation: the personification of dreamtime spirits who channel through the pelicans. Without ever being seen or heard by the humans, they watch over them always, supporting them through chaos, and whispering to them during tragedy. This beautiful element also creates a quiet dialogue about a much needed but lacking respect that exists for animals, the environment, and the Indigenous understanding of these things.
This is executed via strikingly beautiful, intricately crafted pelican puppets made by Annie Forbes and Tim Denton of AboutFace Productions. The puppets are brought to life via the seamless talents of Shaka Cook and Michael Smith, under the guidance of Puppetry Director Peter Wilson. Incredibly light footed and agile, these dancer-pupeteers unleash the silent and graceful power of the birds, who know the land intimately and ultimately never die, but rather are absorbed back into a greater universal energy. Particularly stunning are those scenes when these magnificent creatures with enormous wingspans fly across the stage, lit very minimally to make them all the more exquisite.
These moments, and these wondrous human-animal beasts were pure theatre magic. They had every child and adult studiously rapt for the whole 70 minute play.
Rory Potter gave a wonderful performance as Storm Boy, radiating the same inspiring enthusiasm for life that the child actor of the 1976 film had, which was part of what made it so absolutely loveable back then.
Though widely revered for his screen work, surprisingly Peter O’Brien as the boy’s father was a little wooden in this production. He had an identical tempo and energy for every line delivered, whether he was happy, angry, sad, or shaken out of deep sleep – quite unrealistic. Regardless, the audience loved it all, and perhaps this lively pace worked well for the children watching, who may be more used to ‘upbeat’ style shows.
Trevor Jamieson as Fingerbone Bill got a good few laughs with corny lines which were included for comic value, and his fatherly connection with the boy was beautifully evident.
This stage version of Storm Boy is excellent. It takes viewers on a journey of life learning, where joyous days are interspersed with bitter moments of poignancy. By the end of the show one felt close to the characters, many had shed a tear for the plight of the pelicans, and an ending full of hope – not cheesiness – sent everyone off with a feeling of lightness.
It’s no doubt the STC production of Storm Boy will be the topic of kitchen table conversations over tea and lamingtons for a long time to come. It’s the stuff of cherished childhood memories; some pulled out of storage for us older theatre goers, others newly formed by youngsters who have just seen it for the first time. Thiele’s book isn’t likely to go out of print any time soon thanks to this run. Despite its minimal faults, this show is a must see.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Storm Boy
A Sydney Theatre Company and Barking Gecko Theatre Company production
By Colin Thiele
Adapted for the stage by Tom Holloway
Director: John Sheedy
Designer: Michael Scott-Mitchell
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper
Sound Designer: Kingsley Reeve
Puppet Director: Peter Wilson
Assistant Director: Scarlet McGlynn
With Joshua Challenor, Shaka Cook, Trevor Jamieson, Peter O’Brien, Rory Potter and Michael Smith
Wharf 1 Theatre, Sydney
9 August – 8 September 2013
