‘After You’ve Gone’ is a bundle of fun from Melbournian playwright, Sue Ingleton. In 1985, as a stand-up comedian, Sue was nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, Sue has acted in a cross section of films and plays, from a Barry Humphries’ ‘Les Patterson’ film, to ‘Neighbours’ and ‘A Country Practice’. Being ‘middle-aged’, Sue now enjoys the pleasure she brings as a Civil Celebrant in Castlemaine.
This 100-minute production can be seen at the Old Mill Theatre on the corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, in South Perth (opposite the Windsor Hotel). The play has curtain up at 7.30 each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening until Saturday the 2nd March. There are Sunday matinées at 2.00 pm on February 17th and 24th.
The scene: is 1946 in a large country town in WA (?).
Rhiannon Walker’s set shows a post-war, middleclass sitting room. The walls have a pale grey Damask wallpaper, with the woodwork painted in a luminous emerald green gloss. The rear wall has an archway leading to the front door. The side walls are cut away to allow the passages down the outside of the house to be seen. These cutaways also allowed the actors lining up for their entrances at the rear of the stage to be seen in advance.
Sadly, the wallpaper was peeling in places, a skirting board dropped off during the performance and the junction of two flats were slightly displaced in the room and gaping in the hallway. I know that set building is a thankless task and it is hard to find volunteers, but the construction was poor.
The furniture was well chosen and perfect for the period. There was a three-piece oak suite, a well-sourced record player cabinet and drinks bar. The only picture on the wall was a framed A5 of a relation, strangely nailed on the junction of the walls rather than in the centre.
John Woolrych’s lighting had to include a party atmosphere, and then the presence of a ghostly figure. I thought that the lighting operator, Callum Hunter, was a little unsure at one stage as the lights flickered, but this was the start of a scripted power failure. Good work. Trevor Dhu’s sound design included some great tunes of the era, closely synchronised with the record turntable by operator John Spurling.
The efficient stage manager was Andrea von Bertoch. The 1940s costumes were by Jenny Prosser.
The town square has just been renamed, dedicated to a war hero, the town’s Lord Mayor Harold (Rex Gray), who was lost in action. Harold’s widow, Coral (Sue Murray) and her teenage daughter, Brenda (Sage Lockyer) and Aunt Joy (Lis Hoffmann) are holding an evening supper / wake for friends and relatives.
The atmosphere cools when a wizened spinster, Maidey (Kirstie Francis) arrives. She has not smiled for years. Even when the daughter of Elaine, her deceased twin sister’s girl, Lucinda (Annabelle Segler) arrives with her shy American fiancé Chuck (Steven Ozane) Maidey barely acknowledges her presence. Like all family gatherings, it is not long before the derogatory comments and snide remarks begin.
The town square has just been renamed, dedicated to a war hero, the town’s Lord Mayor Harold (Rex Gray), who was lost in action. Harold’s widow, Coral (Sue Murray) and her teenage daughter, Brenda (Sage Lockyer) and Aunt Joy (Lis Hoffmann) are holding an evening supper / wake for friends and relatives.
The atmosphere cools when a wizened spinster, Maidey (Kirstie Francis) arrives. She has not smiled for years. Even when the daughter of Elaine, her deceased twin sister’s girl, Lucinda (Annabelle Segler) arrives with her shy American fiancé Chuck (Steven Ozane) Maidey barely acknowledges her presence. Like all family gatherings, it is not long before the derogatory comments and snide remarks begin.
Director Trevor Dhu has directed many plays over the years, some have been exceptional, and recognised as one of WA’s ‘Best of the Year’, whilst others have been less well received. The poorer receptions are never through lack of skill or thought, but that Trevor has always been a little ‘way out’ in his conception. He is admired for trying a new approach to all his plays, boldly trying ideas that would put fear into many directors. This play has a couple of dance sequences, and although Trevor is a trained stage dancer, the artistes in this play were youngsters who have possibly never waltzed or quick-stepped in their lives. They made a bold attempt, but the natural flow wasn’t quite there.
The First Act ticked along nicely, however the pace of the Second Act increased hugely, but the cast kept up very well. Although there were many twists and turns in the storyline, the actors had good timing with the tricky explanations, and yet still managed to keep up the pace.
Particularly good performances from Kirstie Francis, Lis Hoffmann and Annabelle Segler.
This was a ‘wow, I did not expect that!’ type of show. Great fun.