The Myth Project: Twin

Image by Sebastian Bourges. 

A daring collaboration between dynamic production company Arthur, and high school students from Tasmania’s Launceston College, The Myth Project: Twin invites us on a expressionistic thriller/drama where the quest for truth by the way of fiction forms the arch of this beguiling and blackly comic drama.

Billed as ‘a mix of opera-noir, cabaret and naturalistic drama’, Twin (the first of a two-part venture), is indeed a mixture of styles. However, with the deft hand of director Paige Rattray, it flows in a strange but intriguing pace. Unlike other stories where the nauseatingly overused term ‘where the line between truth and fiction is blurred’ would be applied, storytelling itself seems to operate as a silent character in Twin thanks to the skilful handling of writers Amelia Evans, Duncan Graham and Dan Giovanni. From the stories invented by the teenage twins who open the play, to the tales spun in a locked interrogation room, each character has a yarn and by the end, one can never be fully sure what the truth is. It is a constantly surprising experience that impresses with its ambition and expert construction.

The central premise revolves around twins Ana and Elsie Langley who, after years apart, are reunited for their birthday at the home of their flamboyant and self-centred mother, Aria. It quickly becomes clear that although they shared the womb and the playpen, these two are polar opposites: Ana the idealist and romantic and Elsie the biting critic with a witty brand of sarcasm. When the evening ends in Elsie’s suicide, Ana is thrust into a psychological investigation of her relationship to her sister and is led back to another set of ‘twins’ Nik (Marcus McKenzie) and Adi (Catherine Davies) – fictional characters they have invented as children.

That is the tip of the iceberg. Twin is a complex and multi-layered mystery that is sometimes as confounding for the audience as it is for that characters – and that is a good thing. Sure it is fractured and often quite confusing, but it is the type of storytelling that assumes the intelligence of the audience and invites us to fill in the gaps – as if David Lynch took his high school drama club on a field trip Down Under and said: (In an American accent) ‘Let’s put on a play!’ Although three writers were responsible for bringing this production to life, the text is focused enough that it still feels like one voice even when it swings from campy satire to dark drama and expressionism to naturalism. The narrative keeps moving, building naturally to a nightmarish climax. Dialogue is snappy and poetic with every line suggesting more than it appears to put forward.

Performances are solid across the board with McKenzie outstanding and with uncontainable energy as Nik alongside Kurt Phelan; dynamic as Aria’s tomboy and Julia Billington bringing depth and sensitivity to Ana. The utterly fearless Netta Yaschin (nothing like a plus-sized woman unapologetically strutting forth in a tiny bikini to wake you up from your complacency) is a powerhouse performance giving Aria a fragility lurking just beneath the vanity.

Special praise must be reserved for the Launceston College Ensemble, comprised mostly of year 11-12 students, who have committed to this production in addition to regular studies. They serve as both extras and a movement chorus with Stephanie Francis and Trinnay Hancock-Holmes opening the performance as the young Ana and Elsie. With no professional training, the students perform complex dance routines and physical theatre with a level of precision beyond one would expect, especially with over 30 of them! It is a testament to, not only the students, but to Kurt Phelan who, in addition to his role as Tim, serves as an imaginative choreographer. It is an absolute delight to see the students take on a huge challenge like this and succeed.

Visually Twin is a great package, with David Fleischer’s dazzling set design (comprised of shimmering strips of silver), Owen Phillips’ dark blue costumes contrast each other nicely with Emma Valente’s dream-like lighting design. Rattray handles the difficult material with proficiency displaying a gift for filtering the bizarre through the beautiful. 

The production is the first of a two-part exploration of the role and archetype of myth in Australian culture. Its companion piece, Mesh, is opening soon at Red Stitch. With Twin they are off to an electrifying start. Twin is witty examination of truth and our need to invent it when it is not so clear. It may be alienating for the less astute theatre goer, but for those with a taste for the surreal, it is an utter treat. Excellent.