By Nick Pilgrim
Clocking in at a brisk seventy-five minutes, Shoelace Chaser packs quite the punch. Spare and compact, this coming-of-age story appears written expressly for teenage and young adult viewers alike.
Covering a multitude of themes, the one-act play addresses hot topics such as queer and indigenous identity, blue collar struggle versus white collar privilege, the high price of family loyalty and compassion fatigue. To the show’s credit, never once does its streamlined narrative belabor these points, talk down to or lecture the audience. Instead, Shoelace Chaser walks a solid line with bursts of cheeky humour, private moments of gravitas, subtle grace and sincere heart.
Owning the above-mentioned points are the premiere presentation’s biggest strengths.
Award winners, author Madelaine Nunn and director, Liv Satchell, bring out each other’s best. Together, they somehow catapult me back to my youth with iconic Australian films the likes of The Heartbreak Kid (1993), Mull (1988), Two Friends (1986) and national series television such as Home (1983) or The Henderson Kids (1985), making for a very special experience indeed.
Pitched squarely at young people, the pair treat teens with playful intelligence and self-aware determination. Nunn’s aptitude for naturalistic dialogue is matched by Satchell’s eye for blocking, characterization, and pacing. Together, they understand and recognise the importance of giving young people a voice, platform, inspiration and presence.
Beyond Shoelace Chaser’s target demographic, its strong premise will also appeal to spectators of all ages.
Told as a series of episodic snapshots, Shoelace Chaser is seen through the exhausted yet hopeful eyes of its protagonist. Thea is a natural talent. Quiet yet hungry, a lucrative future in athletics is within her grasp. At seventeen, she has the world at her feet. Getting there, however, means battling homework, working an after-school job, negotiating a budding friendship with a fellow athlete, all while keeping an eye on her fragile mother. Distance running is not only a chance to break free but provides mental escape from her hectic day-to-day existence.
When I was invited to review this piece, Nunn’s prose and Satchell’s vision took me by surprise.
As a side hustle to my regular job, I operate a website dedicated to Australia’s top ice skaters. Covering the sport for over twenty years allows me to learn about the athletes at close range, discover their personal stories, and what pushes them to compete. Thea’s story resonates with many of these elite stars, where success is that rare combination of talent and grit. The irony is how facing personal challenges or tackling impossible odds only make them want to win more.
Secondly as a long-time carer for an elderly parent with significant health issues, my own situation somewhat mirrors Thea’s daily struggle. Juggling one’s schedule against a senior’s escalating needs is always the challenge.
Torn between Olympic potential and her mum’s personal security is the hook which will capture and maintain viewer’s attention. Consisting of school groups, friends and industry folk, Wednesday’s opening night audience was supportive and engaged from the get-go. Eased into the journey with levity and light, the jokes were firing thick and fast. Every landed punchline cemented the collective investment. Once the storyline took a more serious turn, viewers were already committed to the outcome.
In bringing Shoelace Chaser to life, Nunn and Satchell showcase their work using a trio of talented faces.
Leigh Lule (as Thea), Zoe Boesen (as her mum, Fiona), and Elliot Wood (as Syd, Thea’s new friend), share legitimate on-stage chemistry. The deceptive simplicity of watching Thea paired with Syd, Fiona with Thea, or Syd with Fiona demonstrates how each character interacts and reacts so differently with a family member or a stranger. Like the conversations we permit ourselves or actively avoid, this clever device details how Nunn and Satchell have allowed the trio situational and multifaceted emotional depth.
Using a simulated racetrack to delineate and define the performance space, uncluttered yet dynamic staging and props keeps our focus squarely on the action.
Rounding out the support team, Bianca Pardo (set and costume design), Thomas Roach (lighting design), Tom Backhaus (composition and sound design), Lisa Dallinger (voice and text coach), Lucie Sutherland (stage management) and Jenny Le (assistant stage management) combine creative forces to help make Shoelace Chaser an important and satisfying addition to Australia’s rich, theatrical landscape.
Playing for a strictly limited season at the MTC Southbank’s Lawler Theatre until May 27, the show will make further stops in Bendigo, Wodonga, Nunawading, Portland, Drysdale and Horsham.
Image: Jacinta Keefe
