A building site cluttered with debris is the setting for this play that explores the experiences of some of the workers & hangers-on that have ended up here.
Playwright Raimondo Cortese has written his piece without a conventional narrative, with his work focusing on the interactions between a disparate but connected group of people. There is fighting and arguing, mateship, posing & positioning, drinking and joking. There is all the typical, cluttered behaviour you would expect on a building site. The impact of globalisation, population increases, immigration and development is also considered.
Russell Kiefel gives a polished performance as an old fashioned Aussie labourer, who believes in mateship, unionism, tolerance, excessive drinking & fighting for little reason.
Effie Nkrumah plays the security guard who confidently patrols the site, jokes with the boys, and is hilarious as an African spiritual healer.
The indigenous teenager, played by Meyne Wyatt, is angry. He shouts and abuses. His physical acting is quite impressive. His dancing at the close of the play, to Iggy Pop’s ‘The Passenger’ is very energetic. As Iggy said, “he rides, He looks through his window, What does he see?” We, the audience, are looking through the window at these characters as they are now and at what will happen to them in the future.
All the performances are very strong. Perry Keyes, as well as acting, sings & plays several songs that link scenes and make a pleasant interlude. Fans of ‘Underbelly’ can get to see Hazem Shammas in a very different role. Valerie Berry gives a complex performance showing vulnerability and humour, with an intriguing disconnect between her physical appearance and her character.
This is a thoughtful and entertaining piece. Do not expect any plot development but enjoy ideas, the conflicts and the relationships.
Co-devisors & performers: Valerie Berry, Perry Keyes, Russell Kiefel, Effie Nkrumah, Hazem Shammas and Meyne Wyatt
BURIED CITY opened upstairs at Belvoir St theatre on Sunday 8th January and runs until Sunday 5th February, 2012.
© Mark Pigott
12th January. 2012.
Tags: Sydney theatre reviews- BURIED CITY- Mark Pigott, Belvoir Street theatre upstairs, Raimondo Cortese, Valerie Berry, Perry Keyes, Ruseell Kiefel, Effie Nkrumah, Hazem Shammas, Meyne Wyatt, Prudence Upton.
