In discussing his life as a playwright, Paul Elliott said in a November 2020 interview that “…first and foremost, I focus the work on the audience I anticipate pitching it to. … Always determine who your audience is going to be. Write for them.” It is clearly a philosophy that has served him well. Elliott has written numerous plays, film scripts and television material, and his 2014 comedy “Exit Laughing” has enjoyed considerable international success in the community theatre circuit. It is not especially sophisticated theatre, but it offers an amiable blend of sentiment and humour that audiences generally and genuinely respond to warmly.
The Southern Amateur Theatre Company – established less than a year ago – made a sensible choice in selecting “Exit Laughing” for its inaugural production, particularly after an earlier attempt at launching with another production encountered significant difficulties. The near-capacity opening night audience at the Port Noarlunga Arts Centre was clearly eager to support the fledgling company and responded enthusiastically throughout the evening. Community theatre in Adelaide’s southern suburbs has often struggled for longevity, so one hopes SATC can build on this promising beginning and continue to grow in confidence and consistency over the coming years.
Veteran community theatre director Linda Edwards guided an enthusiastic cast of five (plus a cat!) through Elliott’s relentlessly joke-heavy script. The play itself does much of the heavy lifting, with witty one-liners arriving at a rapid pace, though successful comedy still relies heavily on timing and restraint. While the cast frequently found the humour, there were also too many moments where jokes and physicality were pushed too hard, blunting their effectiveness rather than enhancing them.
“Exit Laughing” centres on three lifelong friends — Connie (played by Meredith Kreig), Leona (Lexie Dryden), and Millie (Kate Saxon) — whose regular bridge nights are disrupted by the inconvenient death of their fourth member, Mary. Determined to include her friend in one final game, Millie “borrows” Mary’s ashes from the funeral home, setting in motion a series of increasingly chaotic events involving an inquisitive policeman (Liam Banks) and Connie’s daughter Rachel (Ally Gumm). Beneath the broad comedy lies a familiar but heartfelt message about embracing life rather than merely drifting through it.
The script moves briskly and generally benefits from allowing its punchlines to land naturally. Unfortunately, this production too often mistakes volume and exaggerated delivery for comic energy. Edwards’ decision to emphasise the frantic, hyperactive qualities of both Millie and Rachel occasionally tips performances into parody, and some scenes become more exhausting than amusing. There are sincere moments that hint at greater emotional depth, but they are at times risked by the production’s determination to chase every possible laugh. In fairness, the material itself is not without flaws: the subplot involving Rachel and the policeman feels underdeveloped and contributes little to the play’s central themes.
The entire action unfolds in Connie’s lounge room, and while the set is serviceable and functional, it occasionally appears somewhat fragile and under-finished. Still, it provides all that is necessary for the action to proceed smoothly. Edwards keeps the cast moving naturally through the space, although a few directorial choices — such as dimming the lights on the women in the kitchen on one occasion to isolate Rachel and the policeman in the lounge room — feel unnecessarily fussy for a play that works best when allowed to unfold simply.
Despite its unevenness, there are plenty of genuinely funny moments scattered throughout this good-natured comedy, and the commitment of both cast and company is never in doubt. Launching and sustaining a community theatre company is no small undertaking – in reality it is hard and often thankless work – and while this production reveals areas that will benefit from greater polish and confidence, Southern Amateur Theatre Company has nevertheless made an encouraging start and appears to be moving in the right direction. Long may it deserve strong community support, which indeed did exit laughing!
