The Director Lachlan Blackwell has created a noteworthy farce that continues the good work of plays that the Tea Tree Players are noted for. The plot revolves around secrets, misguided loyalties, deceit, love interests and a bag of money from the script by Robert Scott. A stellar cast has been put together to make this performance one to remember.
Kieran Drost, playing the role of Carter, set the tone with the opening scene of ‘the morning after’ showing his onstage ability to become the character and deliver lines in a natural non rehearsal presentation.
Kristyn Barnes as Kitty Kat made a memorable entrance and continued in the role which changed throughout the play from good time girl to conspirator to sister of the detective.
Clinton Nitschke is the bent detective Logan. His stage presence suited this part. However, at times some of his words were lost in his pleasant but soft voice.
Keyarra Maur as Emma the attractive fiancée of Logan led us on a trip that she was the goodie goodie in the show until she showed her true colours in the end. Her visual reactions to scenes such as the misinterpreted love between Carter and Roger when leaning over the couch were notable.
Roger was played by Kyle McCarthy who was the perfect side kick for Carter and created the chaos that ensued after he left a note of his love for Emma which was subsequently picked up and misinterpreted by three other characters. His performance when trying to get away from the unwanted advances of Carter’s mum were delightful. Some of his dialogue was lost by the rapid speech that was evident during these scenes.
To confuse the chaos even further enter Ashley, played by Carolina Fioravanti, as the postal delivery person who gets involved and then wants part of the action for the ill gotten money. Her knocked out sequence and subsequent bruise was a significant contribution to the play.
Amongst this confusion Carter’s mum Harriet played by Theresa (Lilly) Dolman bounces onto the set with the aplomb of a seasoned actor. Her attempts to get together with the unwilling Roger allowed her to show her incredible acting ability.
Some of the show stopping moments were delivered by Madison Hart as Maxine / Martine. Although her accent was not convincing it was more than compensated for by the quick changes and the performance where she did not try to cover up the dual role when she burst through a door with wig in hand. She comes across as a natural comedienne.
The set was created by a group of very talented Tea Tree Players people. It was most suitable for the play and the strategically placed fridge was a reminder of one of the essential aspects of the play. The lighting and sound by Robert Andrews was extremely well done particularly with the lighting of the night and early morning scene.
The tiny admission price is just another reason to see this most entertaining and enjoyable play.
