By Jennifer Beasley
Throw aside your prejudices and enter into a world of full moons and fluttering hearts. www.Witinc.com.au
Let me tell you a fable.
Once, or now, neither long ago nor far away, in the urban sprawl that eats at rural England, there lives a fox family. Mother Fox, Cochineal (Tara Daniel), who exists in her den mourning her partner’s death, with her three pups; the eager eyed Thoreau (Conagh Punch), the ever-flea-bitten Gustina (Shaunu Sobti, itchingly adorable), and the endearing Rdeca (Madeleine Magee-Carr), our story’s heroine. But as fables go, there is discord. Rdeca must learn to hunt and leave the den. As is the nature of fables, there is a slightly magical aura. Mother fox teaches Rdeca the art of the predator, ‘trust the destiny of the kill’, a recurring motif, and as Rdeca attacks Gregor Mole, wonderfully played by Greg Caine, that moment between life and death creates a communication link that allows hunter and prey to bond. It is in that moment that Rdeca tells her victim, ‘I love you’. Not what she is supposed to say to a potential meal.
In this 100-minute loosely revamped Romeo and Juliet/Beauty and The Beast tale of conflicting families, we witness themes that revolve around love and what attracts us, how violence begets violence, and the risks we must take to find true love, even if it is unconventional. It is this unlikely first bloom of love between a 14-year-old boy, Basti, sensitively acted by Sam Eades, whose deft nuances portrays his character’s vulnerabilities, and the nervy, twitchy Rdeca, a fox, whom, caught in a trap set by Basti, the magical bond between predator/prey is triggered, and the two embark on their own ‘destiny of the kill’.
Tight and strong direction from Ema Drysdale (Every Second) maintains an even pacing for this anthropomorphic play, written by Australian Rita Kalnejais (Babyteeth), which was first performed in London in 2015, Drysdale makes sure there are swift scene changes, which are skilfully arranged by Lighting designer Jarman Oakley (the full moon projected over the set added to the mystical, Watership Down feel), with brilliant sound from Josh Mitchell. Keeping the stage divided into roughly three sections at the Bluestone Church Arts Space, Drysdale has been able to place the foxes’ narrative to the left, the humans Basti, Simon, his father (Greg Caine again), and the love interest of Simon, neighbour Gemma (Shaunu Sobti who also plays the role of the cat, Smulan), to the right, and centrally, my companion named it ‘the battlefield’, which is as good a term as any, as here we view greater conflict that spills inwards from the sides of the stage.
As the love attraction between species grows, Basti intimately washes Rdeca with flea repellent shampoo (and a good job too as all that scratching was making me itch), a bond that draws them closer as both ‘teens’ suffer from family violence and isolation. The mirroring of each other’s families is revealed as the play progresses, with both lovers missing the central parent who nurtured and loved them.
Humorous scene interjection of the Alsatian dog Rovis, compellingly styled by Conagh Punch, and protector of The Chickens, a hilarious turn by Greg Caine, obsessor of grain, and Tara Daniel, she of the hip stretching and leg extensions (I’ll never look at chickens the same way again. Especially as Greg Caine reminded me of my headscarf wearing and jerky head bopping aunty Ethel). Rovis’s interactions with the young lovers ultimately causes greater conflict later, and a tragic ending for Rdeca’s kin.
A huge round of applause for the costumes and the set, by Silvia Shao. Human clothing-orange and maroon define the foxes, dull yellow for The Chickens and black and bad for our dog that shares so much with the foxes. Oh, and black and white clothing and hat for the cat, the lust object of the dog (if you must ask why then you should go see it to find out more). The need for animal accessories such as whiskers or fur wasn’t needed, although I did struggle to understand what was going on initially in the opening scene as the foxes squealed and tumbled onto the stage. I blame the internet outage that hit my area so I couldn’t look up the play and prepare. So, this review is fair warning-animals act as metaphors in this production.
All the actors did a fantastic job and are well cast. The standout must be Greg Caine, oscillating from sleazy and violent father to mole to chicken. Hello, identity crisis. Kudos as well to Madeleine Magee-Carr. An energetic performance, beautifully balanced by Sam Eades. Well done to for the stage combat by Seb Muirhead, the fist strikes very believable as were all the fight scenes, and an appreciative nod to Intimacy Coordinator Rebecca Fortuna. Touching and appropriate love scenes were handled with care and respect. Why? Because we are talking about an intimate relationship between a human and a fox. Get your calcified brain around that concept and revel in the deeper meanings of opposites and forbidden love. Great stuff.
And so, our fable ends. In tragedy, yet that is the kernel of warning for all fables. Deeper issues, such as domestic violence are touched on, and, overall, the script worked, mainly due to the incredible talents at Wit Incorporated. Great job and keep going. Many thanks to the City of Maribyrnong, a supportive partner of this invigorating company. It was an honour to review, and I urge everyone to go see this play.
Free your mind and delve into the magic that is First love Is The Revolution. You won’t be disappointed.
First Love Is The Revolution plays at the Bluestone Church Arts Space at 7:30pm (Saturday/Sunday matinee at 3pm) until Saturday November 16th, 2024.
