By Nick Pilgrim
As a writer for Theatre Matters (formerly known as Theatre People) for more than a decade, I have had the privilege to review a solid handful of productions which focus on regional stories, characters and themes.
Supporting such content not only promotes Australian creatives and their output, but it also means these narratives are captured for current and future generations to enjoy as well.
Some standout local examples include:
- Boy Out Of The Country
- The Critic
- Driftwood
- Everyman And His Dog
- Hearth
- Heroes
- Hold The Pickle
- Lip Service
- Managing Carmen
- Mother & Son
- Picnic At Hanging Rock
- Return To Earth
- Shrine
- Things I Know To Be True
- Unsolicited Male
The list goes on.
Told in one act and eighty-five minutes in length, The Children’s Bach packs quite the punch. A snapshot into private domestic life, what makes this chamber opera so distinctive is that it has no discernible start or finish.
Meaning, as both viewers and voyeurs, we are asked to deep dive into proceedings full force. Furthermore, the show’s biggest strength is that audiences could know (or be) any one of these people.
In short, it is the story of a husband (Michael Honeyman as Dexter) and his wife (Kate Amos as Athena) whose solitary existence is quickly turned upside down. When two bohemian friends (Adrian Li Donni as Philip and Juel Riggall as Elizabeth) pay them an unexpected visit, all hell quicky breaks loose. Craving more from life than Athena has looking after her autistic son, it is a cautionary tale of a deeply dissatisfied woman under the influence. In this instance, the grass is always greener on the other side.
Helen Garner is the respected and renowned author of Monkey Grip (1977), Moving Out (1983), Cosmo Cosmolino (1992) and The Spare Room (2008). The Children’s Bach (1984) is based on the writer’s novella of the same name.
Noted for her raw yet succinct prose, Garner’s vision is featured in The Children’s Bach to great effect. This unobtrusive minimalism allows audiences to concentrate fully on the characters and their respective paths, while allowing subtext to fill in any discernible gaps where needed. In short, The Children’s Bach captures its characters in various states of flux.
Garner’s knack for dialogue and detail is matched by the creative choices made by the Lyric Opera of Melbourne. Their considered approach keeps our attention squarely on the unfolding drama at hand.
Making its premiere for Chamber Made in 2008, it should be noted this is the only complete staging of The Children’s Bach since.
Blending together spoken word passages with sung-through interludes is not an easy task. Glenn Perry (librettist) and Patrick Schultz (composition) have built a rich inner world reminiscent of musicians such as Benjamin Britten or Gian Carlo Menotti.
Helmed by the talented cast of seven, in some instances the actors do double duty playing several roles.
Chloe Taylor plays Philip’s teenage daughter, Poppy, and a party girl, Angie. Lucy Schneider is Vicki, Elizabeth’s younger sister, and one of Philip’s adoring groupies as well. This team is rounded out by Ben and Chris Touzel, alternating as Athena’s and Dexter’s son, Billy.
In director, Katy Maudlin’s care, The Children’s Bach feels highly cinematic in its approach. It is like watching Rodrigo Garcia’s Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her (2000) or Nine Lives (2005), or indeed, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) brought to life.
Hitchcock’s influence can be seen in set design (Jacob Battista) and lighting design (Amelia Lever-Davidson with Giovanna Yate Gonzalez). Constructed on two levels, staging is divided up into nine clear boxes. Daring and ambitious, I was instantly reminded of MTC’s production of Life Without Me (2010) which took place in a rundown multi-storey hotel.
Battista’s subtle costuming reinforces the everyday of suburbia, working at clear odds with the free-spirited nature of inner-city living.
Very much a trust exercise, the actors team together to produce an especially powerful result. Like a game of Sims brought to exacting life, the rules are strict and unforgiving. As my astute guest for the evening pointed out, Elizabeth has already been through the relationship wringer more than once. Watching events unfold below at close range, it is no accident that her room is placed above the action. (Physical interactions between the characters were overseen by intimacy co-ordinator, Dr Melannie Beddie.)
In the artistic director, Patrick Burns’ care, he conducts the show’s six-piece orchestra with smart and subtle precision. Positioned to the far right of the stage, his sextet consists of Helen Bower (violin), Anna Camera (percussion), Julia Cianci (Cello), Maddison Furlan (double bass), Thomas D’ath (clarinet / bass clarinet), and Isaac Mouskovias (piano).
Their work is reinforced by Charlotte Rogers, whose surtitles provide clever support to the action. Brittany Stock’s outstanding production and stage management keeps the multi-faceted action always stay on point.
While it took several moments to adjust to the world being presented to me, The Children’s Bach is experimental musical theatre at its best. Playing until September 7 at Theatreworks in St. Kilda, this is a show well worth the journey.
