Willing Participant, written and performed by Logie award-winning actor Rob Carlton, is a collection of four monologues delivered with humour, warmth and wit. Mined from his personal life experiences, the stories range from a hilariously dysfunctional family Christmas, the chutzpah of youth (Carlton bluffs his way onto a movie set as a continuity expert), grief and gratitude surrounding the death of a loved one, and a very funny story about an audition for Muriel’s Wedding – The Musical.
Inspired by a storytelling event Carlton and his wife Adrienne Ferreira run on the Central Coast, Carlton put the collection together with the help of his mate – the hilarious and brilliant Darren Gilshenan, who directed the piece. Gilshenan also directed Carlton in his Logie-winning performance of Kerry Packer in Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, and it’s clear the two have a terrific synergy for collaboration. The charisma and comedic chops of these much-loved Australian theatre and TV legends shine through in the production.
Carlton’s performance is warm and engaging, and his comic timing is second to none. He struts the stage, making eye contact with specific audience members as though they’re his best friends. The effect is immediate and intimate – it’s as though you’ve been invited into the inner world of a great mate who’s sharing his best stories with you. You feel in equal parts connected, moved, touched and tickled. And he has a fair share of belly laughs in store for audiences as well.
Carlton’s Christmas story is outrageously funny. He recounts a tale of two 22-year-old cousins forced to sleep top-to-toe in a single bed, which leads to a passionate tryst. Their drunken aunt catches them mid-kiss on a New Year’s Eve river cruise and shouts, “That’s wrong! You can’t do that!” before deciding, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” and lunging in for a non-consensual three-way pash (cue outrageous screams of laughter from the audience).
While the majority of the show had me roaring with laughter, the monologue about the loss of a loved one was surprisingly poignant. Carlton navigated the complex emotions of grief with a raw honesty that resonated deeply. The depth of love and gratitude that often accompanies grief shone through beautifully and the shift in tone also showcased his versatility as a performer and added depth to the overall experience.
Carlton enjoyed a mostly full house on the night this reviewer attended, and he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. There were lots of chuckles and a few tears. His honesty and self-deprecation were endearing – as was his aside to the 20-somethings in the audience about the need to blag your way into a job to get ahead in life. His story of the dysfunctional film set, in which he manages to convince everyone that he’s a continuity expert and is still standing while the rest of the cast and crew drop like flies, is a testament to the time-honoured Australian tradition of ‘the art of bullshitting’.
Read: Performance review: Yummy: Joy Machine, FRINGE WORLD
Willing Participant is a terrific piece of theatre. It’s humble, authentic, beautifully crafted by consummate professionals and proudly Australian. It’s well made theatre – a little on the conventional side for FRINGE WORLD, but deeply moving and engaging nevertheless. Carlton only has two performances left at The State Theatre, so get in there and see a master at work while you still can.
Willing Participant performs on 24 and 25 January at The State Theatre; tickets.
