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The main theme that American playwright Tanya Barfield explores in BRIGHT HALF LIFE is positive and love affirming. Good relationships are a lot of hard work and over the course of a relation.ship there will be a lot of conflicts, which are worth having, just to come out the other side. Things are done with love and good intention. And though many even good relationships don’t last the distance and some fall well short, what they lack in length, they more than make up for in height.
BRIGHT HALF LIFE evocatively covers the four and a half decade relationship between Vicky and Erica, flitting between time periods and situations. Director Rosie Niven’s love of the play, (I’d like to say that I stumbled across this play but there are so few plays in existence that tell the stories of queer woman in a positive light, that it took an incredible amount of hunting to even know that such a play existed, but when I found it, I was blown away…I found a play that was achingly beautiful and a raw story about love’) results in a deeply felt production, brought to life by four fine actors. The play was originally written for just two actors but I think that Niven’s decision to make it a four hander works well and makes it easier for audiences to follow the play’s frenetic pace and sharp shifts in time and place.
As the couple in their younger days filled with romance and adventure, Genevieve Craig as Vicky and Samantha Lambert as Erica shone. Equally convincing, as the now lat3 middle aged couple who have been married a long time, raised kids together and decide to end their relationship, are Loretta Kung as Vicky and Lisa Hanssens as Erica.
Niven’s creative team is the same reliable, effective team that she used for last year’s 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche; Akesiu Ongo Poitaha as Sound Designer, Capri Harris as lighting designer. Niven’s staging worked well. It’s a tiny stage area in the Meraki Arts Bar’s main theatre and still the four actors hold the space well. Barfield’s play is a chamber piece, well suited to a small theatre.
A Theatre Travels production, Tanya Barfield’s BRIGHT HALF LIFa Pride Amplified, part of World Pride, registered production, is playing the Meraki Arts Bar, 231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst until the 19th February 2023. Performance times are 7.30pm except for 2pm on the 18th February and 5pm on the 19th February 2023. Tickets from $30.
Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/
Production photography by Becky Matthews.
Sydney Arts Guide has two double passes to give away to the performance of BRIGHT HALF on Wednesday 15th February, 2023 at 7.30pm. Email [email protected] with BRIGHT HALF LIFE PROMOTION in the subject heading. In the body of your email say what you most like about being in a small theatre as against a big, commercial theatre. The two winners will be advised by email.
