Image: Maggie Stone. Supplied.
Maggie is a loans officer at a bank. She’s Anglo-Australian, abrasively forthright, dissatisfied, rough around the edges, and contemptible of others, especially those dissimilar to her. When African migrant Prosper Deng applies for a small loan, the colour of his skin combined with the colour of his shirt leads Maggie to presume that he’s the bank’s cleaner. After that mix-up is resolved, when Prosper lies to her during the application interview Maggie lectures him, relying on her negative migrant stereotypes, and then carelessly denies him a loan. Later when an African widow, Amath (Sara Zwangobani), applies for a loan, Maggie grants her a loan (initially as an act of self-preservation, but later for more complex and compassionate reasons). In consequence Maggie meets Amath’s troubled son Benny (Shedrick Yarkpai), an affluent friend from Amath’s church, Georgina, and is reacquainted with a loan shark from her past, Leo.
This plot is revealed through a high number of scenes. The constant film-like scene changes were distracting and negatively affected the play’s momentum. By having set changes that appear to last as long as the scenes they separated the limitations of theatre as a medium was highlighted and undermined the suspension of disbelief required by the audience.
In Maggie Stone Lewis has created an excellent character; her dispassionate, abrupt, and racist nature combined with her suppressed desires and forlorn pragmatism makes her and her story entirely credible, fascinating and intriguing. Lewis is good at reflecting the conflicted and commercialised social conscious of our times. The audience laughed emphatically when Georgina protests that she is a good person because she buys the differently coloured ribbons of each charity but laughed empathetically when she couldn’t quite remember what charity the white ribbon represented.
Lewis wrote the title character with McQuade in mind and she excels in portraying what is both lovable and derisible about the ocker Australian without descending into caricature. Genevieve Mooy’s excellent comic timing makes the most of the much needed comedy her character brings to the story. Sara Zwangobani delivers a strong performance as Amath and Shedrick Yarkpai successfully portrays two characters from different generations (Prosper and Benny). Mark Saturno, as loan shark Leo, is less successful at avoiding caricature and is hampered by a combination of poor characterisation and unconvincing costuming.
The play begins as an interesting study of racism, migration and the emotional and economic burden of past experiences. However, there is an emphasis on shock twists and melodrama throughout that results in a play that develops plot at the expense of characters. The second half of the play resembled a mediocre television drama and consequently the play’s ending lacked impact.
Victoria Lamb’s set is dominated by an imposing wooden grid with mirrored walls behind it. The structure is interesting but distracting and its appropriateness for the play is questionable.
3 out of 5 stars.
Director: Geordie Brookman
Set Designer: Victoria Lamb
Costume Designer: Olivia Zanchetta
Lighting Designer: Chris Petridis
Composer/Sound: Andrew Howard
Cast: Kris McQuade, Shedrick Yarkpai, Sara Zwangobani, Genevieve Mooy, Mark Saturno, Ansunya Nathan
08 – 30 November
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
