Review: The Seed at Subiaco Arts Centre

The Seed at Subiaco Arts Centre
Saturday, November 2, 2024

The Seed, the latest production from Black Swan Theatre Company, is a poignant depiction of the long shadow that war cast over families. Directed by Matt Edgerton, the production is expertly laden with heartfelt emotion that immerses the audience within its protagonists’ world, and is an example of Australian family drama at its finest.

Penned by West Australian playwright Kate Mulvany, that play is semi-autobiographical and buzzes with a gritty realism. The origins of the play lay in a commission granted to Mulvany from Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre’s Company B for her to capture the experiences of her ten-pound-pom father of Irish descent as a soldier for the Australian Army in the Vietnam War and the war’s subsequent impact on his and his family’s lives.

Within this context, Mulvany tagged along with her dad on a trip back to Nottingham in the United Kingdom for her grandfather’s 80th birthday, hoping to gain further insight into her father’s story. Rather serendipitously, all three share the same birthday, November 5, which also just happens to be Guy Fawkes Night, and it is against the fireworks of Bonfire Night that the play’s actions take place.

The script, which received a rewrite specifically for this production, absolutely shines in The Seed. The main change in the rewrite is the updated time frame of the play, from the 1990s to the 2000s, and this temporal move makes all the more sense with Mulvany’s younger sister replacing her in the role of Rose.

The dialogue is fast and punchy and serves to both elaborate as well as juxtapose the omnipresent air of war and trauma that lingers throughout the play. This juxtaposition comes in the form of familial jibes and quips that the three plays exchange with each other. In keeping with the theme, however, these retorts, no matter how humorous, remain emotionally loaded.

This is particularly true of the dialogue from the play’s lead patriarchal figure of the grandad, Brian (Geoff Kelso), who pushes both his son Danny (Steve Turner) and granddaughter Rose (Tegan Mulvany) to breaking point with his domineering language, and in doing so signifies the fundamental emotional disconnect in their relationships. This is in contrast to the strong bond that exists between Danny and his daughter, and the play intimates that the reason for this is Danny’s strong moral character. Whereas Danny’s departure for Australia is seen as a cowardly escape by his father, it can also be seen as a necessary action for Danny to take so as to break from the world of war and violence he grew up in.

Kelso commands the stage as Brian, talking brashly and peacocking across the stage so as to exert his control over the others. Splendidly dressed in a tweed suit and flat cap thanks to costume designer Charlotte Meagher, Kelso deftly switches between charming and aggressive, highlighting his character’s moral disregard in pursuing his goals in life.

Throughout, Steve Turner is equally memorable, demonstrating expertise in his adoption of nervous composure and unease that comprise the character Danny, while Tegan Mulvany brings curiosity and a sense of vitality to the role of Rose. Mulvany effortlessly depicts Rose’s desire to not only respect but also understand the two elder men, dynamically swapping between the roles of adoring daughter/granddaughter and effusive reporter as she drives the plot’s narrative in uncovering her family’s hidden truths.

Compelling and relevant, The Seed is an emotionally rewarding journey that proudly and expertly demonstrates Western Australia’s capacity to produce drama at a world-class level.

MICHAEL HOLLICK

Photos by Daniel J Grant