Danielle Butlin, Thomas Kay and Catherine Glavicic in Six & Out.
Six & Out is set in the English hotel room of Darren Fletcher (Thomas Kay), an opening batsman for the Australian cricket team who is hoping to take his team to Ashes glory and enjoy the company of Sierra (Danielle Butlin), his mistress. The plan goes awry when his wife Vicki (Catherine Glavicic) shows up. Vicki’s gotten wind of her husband’s infidelity and has arrived to dispense of the competition and get her husband back in line. What follows is not exactly a groundbreaking plot, but there are enough laughs to keep things entertaining as the play moves toward its conclusion.
With the Ashes just getting into gear the timing of the play couldn’t be more perfect and much of the credit for Six And Out belongs to the cast, who do an excellent job. Danielle Butlin does well as Sierra, the “other woman”, and manages to hold her own against the impressive Glavicic, whose bogan-with-a-heart-of-gold Vicki is the highlight of the play. Kay has the toughest job as the ageing (at 30) cricketer torn between two women. While his character doesn’t score many favours from the script, Kay’s comedic timing helps him make the most of what he’s been given.
While Six And Out is entertaining, errors in direction and pacing rob it of the chance to be exceptional. Tunks has done solid work here, but the staging of the play feels flat and unimaginative, and the pop tunes played between scenes, chosen to lyrically highlight the characters’ emotions, don’t quite work. Furthermore, Vicki, who is easily the most compelling character, ends up feeling a bit one-note throughout the play. When she finally seizes ultimate power in the play’s closing moments, there’s no emotional payoff – she’s been in control of the situation from the moment she showed up, so there’s nothing there to surprise the audience in the final scenes. Given how good Glavicic is, it’s a pity she wasn’t able to flesh out Vicki’s vulnerabilities a little more.
All in all, Six And Out is a play that doesn’t seem to know how good it could be. As it is, it’s funny and well-acted and with a bit more refinement, it could be a classic comedy with insight into the junction of fame and intimacy. This production doesn’t quite score a century, but it’s a good knock nonetheless.
Three stars
Six & Out
Revolt Melbourne
Nov 27 – Dec 6
Writer/Director/Producer – Wayne Tunks
Lighting and Set Design – Ryan Hodge
Poster Design & Photography – Nathan Little
Stage Managers – Tilly George and Grace O’Shannessy
Cast – Thomas Kay, Danielle Butlin, Catherine Glavicic
