Watchlist

WATCHLIST by Steve Davis | Jun 4, 2021 There is an era of smart, sassy, homegrown theatre upon us and Alex Vickery-Howe’s Watchlist is a darkly stupendous example. In an overtly-theatrical two hours, our chief protagonist, Basil Pepper (Gianluca Noble), transitions from a twenty-something introverted nerd to a twenty-something, politically-charged, vegan anarchist. The tone is set with an opening scene in an interrogation room, where Pepper is being grilled by a sinister investigator, Norman (Matt Hawkins), complete with low-hanging light and black leather gloves that imply impending violence. Norman’s goal is to capture an animal rights activist, Delia (Katherine Sortini), who is alleged to have “recruited” a susceptible Pepper to the cause. In what becomes a hallmark of this play, the scene jumps to Pepper’s dad’s funeral, where long-time friend, Roger (Eddie Morrison), shakes us from a sense of mysterious intrigue to one of surprising hilarity as he delivers a eulogy best described as ecclesiastical and social slapstick. It is at this point we meet Pepper’s “unmotherly” mum, Marie (Kate O’Reilly), and witness Delia’s first move to connect with Pepper. What ensues is the struggle between Delia, Roger, Marie, and Norman, as they try to shape, style, and fill the blank canvas that is the hapless, naive, and “undriven” Pepper. In Act One, Vickery-Howe “peppers” (as it were) the battle of ideologies with lashings of witty dialogue, both evergreen and contemporary, and director, Lisa Harper Campbell, has our players match the sharp and snappy dialogue with exquisite delivery and masterful use of the Bakehouse Theatre space. In Act Two, there is a noticeable lowering of energy and pace towards the end, as the wheels of the enterprise sink deeper into the heavy marshes of decision-making and torn loyalties. This prompts me to also note sound designer, Sascha Budimski, because while there were some bright, fun moments, the aural depth of some of the introspective and suspenseful scenes was sublime. As the central character, Noble has a heavy load to bear and manages to draw us in as his pimply awkwardness gives into infatuation, and then builds to reckless activism before dialling down to smouldering subversion. Noble and Morrison conjure intense chemistry with fierce eye contact and a strong sense of bonds of friendship remaining evident, even as both characters orbit widely from the centre of their relationship. Special mention must be made of Sortini in her role as activist. She has the wonderful ability to be on stage and blend in, on one hand, and then marshal attention-drawing energy when needing to take command of other characters around her. There was also an absolute comfort in her own skin; not a trace of self-consciousness to be had, as she did what she needed to do to achieve her ends. Likewise, Reilly was feisty and acerbic (she often gets cast this way, for good reason; she owns this space), complemented by the ever-hovering and sometimes domineering Hawkins. While Hawkins was a natural fit as the malevolent investigator, he rose to comedic heights as the undercover bartender. Watchlist roles out some important ideologies to give them time in the exercise yard, from totalitarianism to militant veganism, but the ultimate focus is on apathy. Delia is repulsed by apathy among activists and that is what pushes her to take extreme measures, while Roger revels in it, occasionally dressing it up with fancy parlance. All characters are flawed, particularly Delia because her black-and-white, intolerant rendering puts distance between her and us. In this way, Watchlist is not a vehicle for training up new activists but rather for encouraging introspection over the gaps between ideals we voice and the actions we live out in daily life. However, this is one important action that I command you to undertake: buy a ticket and see this show. This is what modern, thoughtful entertainment is all about and it will leave a legacy of much food for thought to mull over while enjoying your next dinner with friends; whether that’s a steak dinner or a vegan feast. PS Would love the bar to serve Flaming Lamborginis. Perhaps something for the next production! Watchlist, Bakehouse Theatre, until June 12, 2021

Watchlist by Alex Vickery-Howe. South Australian Playwrights Theatre. Bakehouse Theatre. June 2-12, 2021 Basil Pepper would have been a beagle had his mother had her way. Instead, he paints fantasy figurines and attempts to work out the deeper meanings of Fred Basset cartoons. Until he meets Delia. She was a caterer at his father’s funeral, but he soon discovers she is so much more than that. She fills his head, he sleeps in her bed, and now he’s full of ideas – and action. Alex Vickery-Howe wrote this dark comedic tale after yet another year of terrible bushfires, but before the pandemic – which is prophetic, given where the narrative goes. And its invitation, nay, demand, to do something, is more powerful for being played once the theatres have re-opened. South Australian Playwrights Theatre has a vision to create and perform original plays from the state and Watchlist is an outstanding and challenging piece of theatre that stays with you long after you’ve left the theatre. Director Lisa Harper Campbell guides the great cast around her own stage design: an almond shaped boundary of red gum bark chips: an eye, with an eyebrow at the rear of the stage. Delia’s world of action is within the eye – everyone else’s apathy is outside it. Delia is the only one really looking at the world – and the one being looked at. Katherine Sortini’s Delia is captivating; even when she is in the shadows of the action, you know she’s the reason for what happens next. She conveys the passion, determination, and uncompromising commitment to the cause, whether that be pulling Basil from his inert life into hers or threatening the future of half the human race. Gianluca Noble is Basil, the boy without a fight or a thought, who grows into what his mother feared. Noble is in almost every scene and he is convincing in his transformation from boy to man. Noble is compelling with Sortini, but he has just as much chemistry with his friend Roger, played by a brilliant Eddie Morrison. A lot of the comedy falls to Morrison and he succeeds in his uncertainty delivering a eulogy then flipping instantly and confidently to the wake’s DJ. But he is also us, the audience: selectively informed and doing just enough to make us feel comfortable. We sip our wine (Roger’s choice is Moscato) and recycle our bottles, then go back inside to watch the game. Basil first looks to Roger as his role model of how to function in the world – and it’s this interaction, where they finish each other’s sentences with superb comic timing, that cements a backstory we don’t really get to know. Katie O’Reilly is Marie, Basil’s mum – sardonic, she has mostly given up on whatever she believed in. Her backstory is teased from early on, and the reveal is cleverly executed – yet her character never really changes the way we hoped when we finally understand her context. We never really get to know much about her relationship with Basil’s dad, whose ashes sit under a spotlight for the entire play, the urn being this story’s origin. Matt Hawkins is the other darkness, as Norman, the ‘agent’ who operates outside of the system. Vickery-Howe and Harper Campbell play with Norman and his many alter egos. He is another source of comedic relief, though constantly played straight. He brings fear and a sense of foreboding to Norman, as well as a misplaced smugness thinking he’s in control of everything. The to and fro from present to past converges through short scenes punctuated by music; Stephen Dean’s lighting helping us in that shift in time and place; and the excellent stagehand whizzes props on and off in her wonderful black hat, maintaining the momentum that builds and builds – and yes, is released. There is huge satisfaction in feeling that energy move in live performance (yet sadly missing in so much of it) and Harper Campbell’s cast and crew carry this responsibility so well. The ‘boy meets girl’ narrative turns from comedy to politics and back again so easily, yet it’s not satire: it’s a frustrated tale of the state of the world that signals virtue but actions nothing important, waiting for ‘some mythical grown-up to take care of it’. Whilst this play is a reflection of our own apathy we see in Roger, our resignation in Marie, and our fear of the surveillance-world through Norman in his many guises – this is a call to arms: to be captivated by the planet as much as Basil is by Delia, indeed, as much as Delia is by Basil, for us to say her words: ‘I wasn’t supposed to like you this much’. Mark Wickett

Watchlist by South Australian Playwrights Theatre. Basil Pepper, whose father has just died, finds himself cast out of home by his mother Marie, whether from grief or less honourable motives. He batches with the larger-than-life Roger but, vulnerable as he is, readily falls under the spell of the magnetic Delia. She’s an environmental radical with the pull of a televangelist, complete with all the lines about capitalism, patriarchal society, the despoliation of nature, and all. Under her thrall, Basil is transformed, and not for the better. Like Delia, he finds himself on an Orwellian watchlist, personified in the mysterious Norman. Lisa Harper Campbell directs an ensemble cast of Gianluca Noble (Basil), Katie O’Reilly (Marie), Katherine Sortini (Delia), Eddie Morrison (Roger) and Matt Hawkins (Norman). They are intensely invested in the piece, which barrels along taking few prisoners on the way. There are many gems which make Watchlist well worth the effort. Marie’s sharp tongue is a winner, while Norman’s shadowy character is a neo-noir triumph. Basil is a sympathetic character, but has more than a few lines that are impossibly lofty, even taking Marie’s heady influence and Roger’s bombast into account. And the writing is occasionally overly didactic, though that is time-honoured when it comes to articles of faith. Watchlist reminds us of the need for maturity in discerning what is fair, and what is reasonable. And affirming the need for that right to be respected.