In April 2009, Toowoomba teenager Kristjan Terauds returned home from a music festival, went to bed and was discovered the next morning by his father, laying atop the covers and unresponsive. Admitted to hospital, Kristjan died just days later as a result of illicit drug use. April’s Fool uses words taken from dozens of interviews with Kristjan’s family and friends and the story is told through a series of monologues. The cast, with the exception of Barbara Lowing, inhabit multiple characters, reflecting on their reactions to the event itself and slowly building a frank, yet loving portrait of Kristjan as a person.
After a small, successful tour in 2010, April’s Fool has returned on a larger scale, with a national tour visiting both capital cities and regional centres. David Burton constructs the story in such a way that a set isn’t really necessary for its functionality and though there are but a few set pieces, they are, for the most part, wasted. Projections onto a hospital curtain can be hard to see when other corners of the stage are still illuminated and two AV screens flash on and off with images of the sky or a highway lit by headlights and don’t really add much to the experience. Sound designer Brett Collery builds a flurry of background noise – be it the piercing alarm of a distant ambulance as the characters are made aware of Kristjan’s fate or the eerie footsteps and beeping monitors in the hospital, where family and friends gather. Not unlike a dentist’s drill, these sounds elicit a sense of anxiety, dragging the audience into those most uncomfortable moments.
Knowing that the events being discussed on stage have actually occurred (and, in this case, locally and not too far in the past) can be awkward for any audience. You don’t want to walk away from the theatre feeling you have, in some small way, been a part of the exploitation of a grieving community. Thankfully, Director Lewis Jones is sensitive in his handling of the material. It is a relief, too, that Jones had such a strong cast to work with. All involved deliver fine performances, but it’s quite impossible not to be in awe of Barbara Lowing. Her transformation as Kristjan’s mother Helena, from plucky and confident to guilt-stricken and fragile, is utterly heartbreaking.
It may be a minor, possibly unfair quibble but there is a moment at the play’s conclusion that seems unnecessary – a sort-of thrown in ‘Don’t do drugs, kids’ PSA. It’s not terribly condescending, but it is too literal. In 70 minutes, the message has already been received. April’s Fool is at its most compelling when it explores grief and guilt rather than adolescence and drug culture.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
April’s Fool
By David Burton
Directed by Lewis Jones
Designed by Josh McIntosh
Media Design by Craig Wilkinson
Sound Design by Brett Collery
Lighting Design by Timothy Panitz
Cast: Sam Clark, Jessica Harm, Allen Laverty, Barbara Lowing and Belinda Raisin
Judith Wright Centre
April 20 – 21
Also touring nationally. Upcoming dates include:
April 23 – 24: Logan Entertainment Centre
April 26 – 27: Empire Theatre, Toowoomba
April 30 – May 1: The Arts Centre, Gold Coast
May 2: Centre for Arts & Culture, Beaudesert
