Review: Death in a Statesman
Picture: Opening ‘credits’ (image credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Death in a Statesman is one witty play: a story of three car crashes, three generations of one family, and three (or more) crimes to be solved. Cliff (Allen Laverty) returns to Bundaberg to take up a new job at the ironically named Truth newspaper, to spend time with his dying mother (Kate Wilson), and to attempt to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Emily Liu). Cliff’s return ‘home’ is also linked to being made redundant from his prestigious Melbourne job at The Age newspaper. Shortly after Cliff’s return, the newly elected local Mayor dies in a car crash, in the same location as a car crash twenty or so years previously. The scene is set for discovery, romance, the rebuilding of family relationships, and the solving of a few crimes along the way.
Picture: Father and daughter crime investigation (Credit: Creative Futures Photography)
Picture: Onto the golf course (Credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: ‘Crabby’ (Credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Sorry, but I am going to use the word trope this review… although I could have just as easily referred to a recurring, commonplace, or frequently used plot device or cue in a work of art or literature. Let’s just say that if you have a personal ‘trope alert,’ it will be on overload with debase’s latest show, and will certainly add to the fun, as there are entertaining references to comic strips and hardboiled detective fiction. If you are not completely familiar with newspaper cartoon strips and detective fiction… a couple of pointers (1) one of the downsides of the demise of print journalism is the decline in the popularity of comic strips: three to five square panels (usually printed in black and white) used to tell stories through the use of captioned drawings (cartoons); and (2) tropes of detective stories are many and varied, including the genre of detective fiction which has been described as “Hardboiled [which] is all about cynical, complex detectives,” replete with a tough-talking detective who is often clad in fedora and trenchcoat.
Death in a Statesman’s comic strip references came through most strongly to me in the set and lighting design (Ella Lincoln [Designer], Jenna Vryenhoek [Set Design Assistant], Glenn Hughes [Lighting Design]). There are four main performance areas (‘boxes’ that include the fixed bike for Cliff’s reflections on the ‘cases’), and some fabulous comic-style creations that add to the fun—including the Statesman car wreck, the hooning car on the golf course, the distant trees, and the glorious flowers in the vase. And I’d probably need a few pages to list out all of the hardboiled noir references. So let’s just start the list with those fantastic trenchcoats and fedoras worn by the ‘stagehands’ and in the opening ‘credits’. I’ll leave it to you to see how many other references you can spot.
I enjoyed this show. In particular I love how in Death in a Statesman the hardboiled detective genre is referenced but also inverted. The investigative journalist moves downstage to share thoughts about the crime(s) while cycling around the quiet Bundaberg streets and fails to solve the various mysteries. Ultimately (SPOILER ALERT), these are cases solved by a different family member, who then gets to go to the big city of Melbourne, to live in Dad’s flat, and to study the course of their dreams.
Any good detective noir fiction has an array of characters, and part of the fun of this production is that wide variety of supporting roles that are played by Peter Cossar and Helen Cassidy. Great work by these two skilled actors (in particular I loved Cassidy’s Newspaper Editor and Cossar’s ‘Crab King’). I wish I could have been able to see their quick backstage transformations, as I have a feeling that there was much fun to be had in watching their frenzied costume and character switches. Great work also by the main cast members: Kate Wilson’s experience shone through in a nuanced and believable portrayal of the grandmother, and Emily Liu created a convincing, feisty, and smart counterpoint to a returning father who is searching for where and how to belong. Anna Yen played two key and contrasting roles which were memorable, and I really enjoyed Allen Laverty’s creation of the amiable (and slightly lost) returning Dad.
Death in a Statesman is an amusing play that explores cars, local culture, connection and belonging. But it can be difficult to maintain the promise of a funny show across a 90-100 minute performance. The first half of Death in a Statesman more than lives up to the promise of being funny, but the second half of the production does focus more on the darker themes of loss, and the pulling together the different threads of the story to solve the crimes. I felt that this show could be just a little shorter, to maintain more of that comic energy throughout: perhaps there is the opportunity to take out some of Cliff’s memories of his late wife, Vera (Anna Yen), and shorten the party car hooning and ‘ingredients’ scenes? But my overarching view is that Death in a Stateman is clever, humorous, and great fun. If you can, get down to the Judith Wright Centre to see this new work; a few tickets are still available for the remaining shows, but be quick as this premiere run ends this weekend.
debase has a clear mission to create new comic performance for theatre, telling stories of Australia for Australians and the world. With Death in a Statesman, Bridget Boyle (Director) and Robert Kronk (writer) have had a lot of fun with their Bundaberg noir-inspired crime story—and they are certainly delivering on debase’s mission. The production will tour easily, as the set design will adapt to any space (particularly if the regional locations can supply a few chairs). So I really do hope that debase are able tour this production around Queensland and beyond. It’s important that we get to see new works that reference and entertain local communities.
Verdict: A fun night out. I really hope this one gets to tour, as it deserves a wider audience across Queensland (and beyond).
Picture: At the family newsagency (Credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Audience information: Death in a Statesman, Judith Wright Centre, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane (8-12 November, 2022). Lockout applies. 15+. Contains swearing or offensive language, adult themes, smoking, and haze/smoke effects. Tickets: $22-33 (plus $0.5 ticket fee). 90-100 minutes (no interval).
The reviewer attended the Wednesday 9 November (7:30pm) performance.
Images credit: Creative Futures Photography