By Ash Cottrell
Last Friday night reminded me that after all these years, I still feel very passionately that fortyfive downstairs is a hell of a place to see theatre in Melbourne. The steep staircase, while lined with distracting festive strip lighting doesn’t do much to assuage my concerns about a fire safety plan but it’s still up there with the best spots in the city. It has always got a great vibe and I’ve seen some terrific theatre there over the years. There was an air of excitement as I sipped on my pisco sour pre-game drink at Cumulus Inc. beforehand and watched an excited crowd pile in.
I was thrilled to be in glorious company, against the backdrop of slightly warmer weather and an exciting show by Benjamin Nichol, Milk and Blood which runs at fortyfive until September first. There was not a spare seat in the house and the energy of Melbourne’s theatre-going crowd was palpable. Milk and Blood forms a part of an anthology series about love and loneliness and save for a few tiny criticisms, this show was excellent.
Milk kicked things off with seeming levity (short-lived) and a solid, consistent performance from, Brigid Gallacher who delivered right the way through with empathy and complexity. The play itself tackled some horrifying content including but not limited to, sexual assault and violence against women. It spoke to the zeitgeist and managed to take the audience on an incredibly nuanced journey with complex characters. There were moments where I was incredibly taken with Brigid Gallacher’s ability to hold us as an audience and carefully guide us through what was at times, confronting and disturbing. This spoke to an excellent performance but also great writing. I think it pays to mention that this play incorporated the element of surprise, which I always appreciate in writing. My only criticism was that I felt slightly short-changed by the abruptness of the ending and left wanting more. In short though, Milk was terrific. I know that the audience felt the same way as I noted a plethora of emotional reactions and the kind of applause that you know is authentic.
I’m not usually a fan of an interval as I’m partial to distractions and the allure of the city lights but I felt this interval was needed. It gave the audience twenty minutes to debrief and reset. The second play also dealt with sexual assault and violence but from the perspective of a male escort who played in the realm of queer S & M spaces. While I preferred, Milk, Blood encapsulated some superb writing and character development with the complexity and nuance of playing off conflicting themes such as abuse vs. desire, curiosity, sexual expression and violence to name just a few of the explorations. The lasting beauty of the play existing in the space of the unknown and the power and importance of the ‘found family’.
While there were a few first night glitches in both Milk and Blood, I’m sure this important piece will comfortably hit its stride and provide a powerful contribution to discussions that have found a suitable home in the theatre and culture. Indeed, it is true that you cannot heal what you will not reveal. Milk and Blood is most certainly an expression of the power and importance of these explorations.
Image: Sarah Walker
