Image: Katerina Kotsonis and Rebecca Bower in The Honey Bees; photograph by Jodie Hutchinson.
The plight of the world’s bee population is a topical issue in the current environmental climate, with numbers steadily declining across the globe without any concrete explanation. This is a concern that forms the central plot of Caleb Lewis’ INK-developed play, The Honey Bees, which has just premiered at Melbourne’s Red Stitch Actors Theatre.
Set at a small family-owned apiary in outback Western Australia, this beautifully crafted story explores the life and history of a bee-keeping household, including countless subplots, twists and turns that intertwine in a tight, enthralling manner. Joan (Marta Kaczmarek) is the strong-willed Polish immigrant mother and widow who runs the business, with help from her daughter Clo (Rebecca Bower), dedicated labourer Kerrie (Katerina Kotsonis) and some overworked and underpaid ‘woofers’ (backpackers). Her son Daryl (Christopher Brown) has secured a business transaction with a US company to keep his family’s apiary financially safeguarded, but the agreement does not exactly go according to plan. Amidst this increasingly stressful situation arrives Melissa (Eva Seymour), a purple-haired angsty runaway from Sydney searching for answers.
Joan is the ‘queen bee’ of this family hive, domineering and calculating, with a razor-sharp tongue that often delivers quite the sting. She is a hard-working businesswoman, a caring mother, a wily manipulator and a lonely old lady all wrapped up in one captivating character, and Kaczmarek effortlessly combines these traits in her portrayal.
Daryl is expertly infuriating as he makes risky decisions on behalf of his family, and argues with defiance against any criticism of his attempts to support the business. Bordering on insufferable at the beginning of the performance, he becomes more and more likeable as the traumatic details of his childhood are revealed; Brown is a riveting storyteller. This can also be said for Seymour, who tells Melissa’s story with honesty, heart and spunky ferocity.
The chemistry between Bower and Kotsonis is raw and moving, as Clo’s dedication to her parents’ apiary generates a weak point in her relationship with Kerrie. Their labours, both physical and emotional, are a constant struggle, and the actors have no trouble demonstrating the hardship their characters are facing.
Ella Caldwell’s direction allows the various stories within The Honey Bees to unravel seamlessly. While some of the dialogue errs towards melodrama, the majority of the scenes showcase touching revelations and tragic sacrifice. There are smatterings of comedy throughout, with witty one-liners that break up the seriousness of the narrative, many of which are delivered by the well-timed Kaczmarek. She also commands the stage in an emotional speech about her marriage, which is a poignant highlight of the play.
Set design by Sophie Woodward is commendable. Dusty orange sand coats the ground and wooden crates and logs are deliberately littered across the stage, certainly symbolic of the intriguing and desolate Australian outback. The soundtrack contains much relentless buzzing, barely noticeable until it changes, and the rippling lights provide a lovely contrast between the house and the hives. One particular scene combines light, sound and smoke in a simple yet vividly effective way, and is worth a special mention (even though the scene cannot be described to avoid revealing too much).
Surprises, scandals and suspense are rife in this new Australian play. With strong performances by all, Caldwell’s streamlined direction, heart-felt writing by Lewis, and a focus on an important environmental concern, The Honey Bees is an insightful and engrossing piece of theatre to add to Red Stitch’s ever-growing repertoire of local successes.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Honey Bees
By Caleb Lewis
Directed by Ella Caldwell
Performed by Eva Seymour, Christopher Brown, Rebecca Bower, Marta Kaczmarek and Katerina Kotsonis
Production Dramaturg: Tom Healey
Set & Costume: Sophie Woodward
Lighting: Daniel Anderson
Composition & Sound: Daniel Nixon
Stage Manager: Hannah Bullen
Assistant Stage Manager: Maddie Lyman
Red Stitch Actors Theatre, St Kilda
14 June – 16 July 2016
