Director Anthony Skuse’s trademark tilted askew angled floor is immediately evident as you pull the eye over the wool and hay bails of James Smither’s simple and effective set for Secret House’s production of Simon Longman’s GUNDOG.
As with all good drama, the world of the play is out of kilter, harmony vying with chaos to gain the upper hand, the fates and furies of nature conspiring to wreak havoc on the mortals.
Sisters Becky and Anna are desperately trying to run the family sheep farm in the face of impending failure. Their mother has died, their father descended into suicidal mourning, their brother rusting into stasis, their grandfather a demented relic.
On their beleaguered lamb land they discover a man on the lam, a foreigner calling himself Guy Tree, a refugee, ostensibly searching for scrap but really seeking solace and silence and peace. As all the other males on the farm are useless, save perhaps the jism rich ram, they offer him employment, food and lodging.
GUNDOG retrieves past from present in time shifts that fall unexpectedly and take some adjusting to but the assured and strategic stagecraft smooth their passage overall.
LJ Wilson as Becky carries the line load and leavens the bleak with wishes of farming pandas rather than sheep, fleecing the rich rather than being captive to the clip.
Jane Angharad as Anna is the absolute essence of the stoic, the still, the ever supportive.
Mark Langham beautifully balances pathos with comedy as the memory degraded Granddad, knowing his mind is going and his time is up, battling baffling confusion with a determined bonhomie.
As Guy Tree, Saro Lepejian exudes a pleasing openness while retaining an element of mystery regarding his origins and reasons for his expatriation.
And James Smithers simmers as Ben, the brother seething with rage, a refugee from the family returned to the farm perhaps to continue a cycle of tragedy.
High performance levels are matched by excellent production values. Travis Kecek’s lighting design deftly delineates interior and exterior environs and the time shift transitions as does the wardrobe choices of costume designer, Aloma Barnes.
GUNDOG plays until Saturday 18th March
TIMES: Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 5pm
LOCATION: KXT, 181 Broadway, Ultimo
BOOKINGS: https://www.kingsxtheatre.com/gundog
TICKETS: Preview $30 / Full $45 / Concession $35
Images by Clare Hawley