In Tim Winton’s SIGNS OF LIFE, an indigenous brother and sister, Bender (Aaron Pederson) and Mona(Pauline Whyman) are driving through the West Australian outback when their car breaks down near Georgie’s(Heather Mitchell) farmhouse. They ask Georgie if they can stay the night; Bender will get on to fixing the car and then they will be on their way the next day. Georgie agrees to this, the car takes longer to fix than expected, and the siblings end up developing a friendship with Georgie and staying on.
SIGNS OF LIFE is about three lost souls breaking bread together-sharing stories from their life, of pain and hardships-and finding communion, a peace. The cast perform Winton’s sensitive and lyrically written play beautifully.
Heather Mitchell plays the main character Geordie- originally the heroine from Winton’s novel DIRT ROAD-a strong, independent, capable woman who is grieving the loss of her husband, Luther Fox (George Shevstov), who died six weeks previously in a freak accident on the property.
Aaron Pederson and Pauline Whyman are great as Bender and Mona. It comes out in the play that the siblings had their own personal story as to why they were driving through the outback. They are in search of a river close to Geordie’s property where their father used to hide when he escaped from the mission.
What comes out strongly in the play is how much the three characters are strongly influenced by their past. As the director succinctly put it, ‘Winton’s characters walk through the present but they live in the past’.
Zoe Atkinson’s evocative set and costumes and Ben Collins’s atmospheric soundscape complement the action well.
A Sydney Theatre Company, Black Swan State Theatre Company and Commonwealth Bank production, Tim Winton’s SIGNS OF LIFE, poignantly directed by Kate Cherry, opened at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 7th November and runs until Saturday 22nd December, 2012.
(c) David Katy
29th November, 2012
Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- SIGNS OF LIFE, Tim Winton, Sydney Theatre Company, Black Swan Theatre Company, Sydney Arts Guide, David Kary