OBSERVER: Trophy Boys
The return season of Emmanuelle Mattana’s Trophy Boys is not just a testament to its theatrical durability but to the importance of the insights and messaging. The work is superbly crafted, luring audiences in with a seemingly comic send up schoolboy culture.
Owen (Myfanwy Hocking), David (Leigh Lule), Scott (Gaby Seow) and Jared (Fran Sweeney Nash) are preparing for a debate against their sister school on the topic of feminism. The audience laughs at girls dressed as boys mimicking, and with some accuracy one might say, the physical and verbal attitudes of adolescent males.
At the same time, as they prepare for the debate, the conventional arguments about feminism and patriarchy are teased out.
Only when there is an accusation of inappropriate conduct do we see a change in the audience’s demeanour. We are less comfortable but, in some ways, reassured by the explanations offered.
The comic relief returns. Then we are confronted by the accusation of rape and the dramatic intensity reaches its height. The boys, having previously turned on each other trying to find a scapegoat, now collaborate to shield their guilt, their complacency, their conduct and complicity. Their response highlights the enduring influence of a patriarchy that is socially ingrained and resistant to change. Mattana enables us to see why that is so.
The energy and intensity of the cast speak to a group that work and interact well. The stage is simple, the plain desks and chairs a common sight in any classroom. Marni Mount’s direction has the cast using the levels the furniture can provide well aware of the performance being in the round. Mount has also brought to the fore the dramatic arc pivoting from comedy to drama accentuating the message.
This is a play that should be performed continually not simply because it is good theatre but because it just may help build an awareness that will enable change.
Performance Season: Until August 24
Venue: Fairfax Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au
Review by David McLean
Pictured: Gaby Seow (top left), Fran Sweeney Nash, Myfanwy Hocking (lower left) and Leigh Lule in Trophy Boys.
Photo by Ben Andrews.