Simon Ives is a busy suburban school kid who is accidentally blasted into space by his ambitious parents. Finding himself at the edge of the universe, he meets The Boy and each finds something missing in the other’s life.
All in this ensemble piece were tight and played off each other well. Simon was played with great energy by Sebastian Lamour despite lacking vocally. The remaining cast moved seamlessly between their numerous characters.
Puppetry and a little bit of stage trickery is cleverly used to great effect to transport Simon to the edge of the universe. Once there he meets The Boy (played charmingly by Matt Furlani) who reminded me an incarnation of Doctor Who. The Boy has created an amazing life for himself with life size trains sets and indoor forests in a tardis like home. But he is lonely.
Peter Houghton’s directing kept the actors moving at a cracking pace but as a result it missed some moments of tenderness. This may have been in the writing as there are a lot of words to cover in the seventy minutes. One of the most touching moments comes when Simon’s teacher compares space, to their own growing bodies. It’s a moment filled with curiosity and wonder which actor Emily Goddard struck perfectly.
The four piece set designed by Andrew Bailey is functional and comes together at the end to an create an elongated suburban street under an astrological night sky – another beautiful moment.
For all of the philosophical meanderings and profundities of this dense script, it didn’t quite take off emotionally. There are some funny moments, which the audience was simultaneously grossed out and engrossed at, but these were few and far between.
This is a play that is full of big concepts and bigger possibilities. My eight year old loved it. His favourite moment in the play didn’t actually happen on stage, it happened in his imagination, which is testament to some powerful storytelling. It’s a clean, tight and solid production but doesn’t shine as brightly as it could have.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The Boy at the Edge of Everything
by Finegan Kruckemeyer
Melbourne Theatre Company
Until October 3, 2015
