In taking on this large, intense and questioning play, Independent Theatre is doing what it does well. Rob Croser’s direction was as sure as ever, keeping the difficult balance between the various, often contradictory, themes at play. And all the action is subtly underpinned by a signature set designed by Croser and David Roach, cleverly using the space and allowing strong changes in focus from one part of the stage to another, and at different levels.
Set in the Deep South during WW1, the play outlines in sometimes uncomfortable detail, the essential emptiness of a family’s relationships with one another and the ever-beckoning outside world.
The cast was strong, and to achieve the playwright’s ends, it needed to be. The accomplished Will Cox, as seventeen year old Eugene Gant, carried the plot with ease, and was entirely convincing, especially in moments of his greatest self-doubt. Bronwyn Ruciak played his driven mother, Eliza, with gusto, clearly conveying her need for possessions and security, although occasionally letting the accent wander. David Roach was marvellous as the engaging and infuriating W.O. Gant, stonemason and father of the family.
Madeleine Herd was wonderfully natural as Laura, a short term boarder who has a dalliance with young Eugene, and Pam O’Grady had an entertaining cameo tour de force as Madame Elizabeth. Jonathan Johnston as Ben Gant was a steady foil for the more animated members of the family, while Malcolm Walton as Will Pentland, Naomi Voortman as Helen and Trish Hendrick as Marie all played important supporting roles.
