OBSERVER: Soldier Boy
This Theatreworks production of Soldier Boy is masterfully adapted by writer Anthony Hill into a play from his bestselling novel based on a true story.
Set in WWI in 1915, 14-year-old, Melbourne boy James Martin is resolute in his desire to put up his age and serve with the Australian forces overseas.
Playing James, Oliver Tapp’s nuanced performance impressively captures the many shades of emotion asked of the character, from his relationship with family and fellow soldiers, to horrors of the Gallipoli battlefield and to fear of dying in his troop ship hospital bed.
A good balance is created through injections of trench humour providing light relief in moments of tension.
We are drawn into the push and pull of James, his mother and father’s kitchen table conversation when he leaves them with little option but to agree to signing his illegal papers.
Through Laura Iris Hill’s performance as James’s mother, we witness her pain couched with her warmth, while combined with restraint with thoughts of losing her son.
Beng Oh’s direction unleashes this story with great strength juxtaposed with subtlety. Jack Burmeister’s composition and music selection, coupled with Sidney Younger’s lighting effects, create authenticity and added emotional charge to this play.
Adrienne Chisholm’s costuming from army uniforms to patient James’s none-too-pristine singlet as he lies in his hospital bed, to his parents’ everyday wear, transports us back to the 1920s.
The strong support cast play multiple roles as the scenes glide from domestic, to hospital, to war zone and lifeboats.
Viv Hargreaves’s uncomplicated set works well for the cast enabling them to move easily within the space throughout these constant scene changes.
Performance Dates: Until July 5
Performance time: 90 minutes (lockout policy for latecomers)
Tickets: Adults $55, concession $48 Mob tix $25
Bookings: admin@theatreworks.org.au 0451 522 869
Review by Sherryn Danaher
Pictured: Oliver Tapp and Emily Joy in Soldier Boy.
Photo: Steven Mitchell Wright