Image via lamama.com.au
A word of warning to anyone planning on attending this performance who is recovering from a break-up, or who is experiencing hardship in a current relationship: prepare yourself for some relatable and crushing theatre.
Following a successful MUST (Monash Uni Student Theatre) season, Softly Pouting While Walking Into Breezes is a play as poetic as its ambiguous title; a play bursting with emotion, energy and poignant moments that make you want to laugh and cry simultaneously. We follow the character Ben through several stages of his late teens and early twenties as he suffers from a severe case of post-break-up-blues. His heartache embodies him, and it is fleshed out by eight young actors who each help portray various versions of this broken boy. Dialogue-centric scenes and a series of abstract physical sequences form the body of the performance, and we watch as Ben attempts to create new meaningful relationships with great difficulty. His previous relationship with Toby has seemingly destroyed all of his hopes to rediscover love: both romantic love and the love of his friends.
A perfect fit for Midsumma Festival 2015 with a focus on self-awareness, identity and love, this punchy production delves into gay relationships, but in a way that allows each individual audience member, no matter their sexual preference, to connect with it. The first interpretation of Ben is portrayed by the charismatic Thomas Little, who delivers a conversational monologue that introduces us to the doomed love story that fuels the entire play. It then continues with the rest of the talented ensemble taking it in turns to showcase their take on the psyche of the protagonist.
Chris Edwards amuses the audience with his wide-eyed, embarrassingly sweet awkwardness, particularly during a romantic encounter with an attractive stranger (convincingly played by Alasdair Huggett). Swapping between characters with ease, Ariadne Sgouros is a delight to watch, with excellent comic timing and quick wit, while Alistair Trapnell deserves a special mention for his impossibly high energy and hilarious expressions that he manages to solidly sustain for the duration of the performance.
Director Jessica McLaughlin Cafferty has put together a fluid and passionate production that consistently entertains with its quirky characters and raw interactions. The stark white set against the black La Mama theatre surroundings maintains a focus on the black-and grey-clad performers. The occasional smattering of colour provided by props and costume pieces is a nice way to shift audience attention but does not add too much to the overall performance. Adrian Black’s bright, mostly unchanging lighting design, combined with spoken references to lighting changes that never actually happen, fits well with the Brechtian style the play seems to be aiming for. While there are a couple of long-winded monologues and ensemble sequences that could benefit from an edit (or perhaps even an omission), overall the production is an impressive start to this year’s Midsumma Festival.
Softly Pouting While Walking Into Breezes is a charming anti-love story that examines the relationships of awkward, troubled twenty-somethings searching for love and acceptance. It does come across as somewhat of a (very remarkable) student theatre performance, but don’t let that deter you; it is captivating and lively, and will make you want to fall in love one hundred times over (while fiercely avoiding the inevitable heartache that follows).
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Softly Pouting While Walking Into Breezes
La Mama Theatre, Carlton
By Jake Stewart
Director: Jessica McLaughlin Cafferty
Assistant/Musical Director: Lindsay Templeton
Performed by: Alasdair Huggett, Alistair Trapnell, Ariadne Sgouros, Chris Edwards, Imogen Walsh, Samuel Nix, Tennessee Mynott-Rudland & Thomas Little
Producer: Tess Chappell
Stage Managers: Cara Schelleman & Chris Chosich
Costume Designer: Cara Schelleman
Set Designer: Nathan Burmeister
Lighting Design: Adrian Black
PR & Marketing Manager: Tennessee Mynott-Rudland
Design Assistant: Maxwell Chappell
Dramaturg/Graphic Designer: Daniel Lammim
Photographer: Jessica Labiris
Choreographer: Kate Brennan
Production Assistant: Enise Tatlidi
