Black is the New White

Ah – Aussie Christmas – don’t you just love it: families who don’t normally meet spend concentrated time together; hidden egos, frustrations and disappointments surface like icebergs; people who normally abstain sneak alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs. Add to that an impending interracial wedding, a splash of rampant consumerism, a pinch of religion, a smattering of opposing Black and White Aussie politics – what could possibly go wrong?

In Black is the New White, writer Nakkiah Lui gives us a generous helping of her take on a French farce, with a side serve of Greek tragedy. The result is a wild and warm, crazy platypus of a play – the collision of styles a unique Aussie fusion.

Fulfilling the farce brief is the cringe-making setting of an upper-middle-class Aboriginal family coming together at their holiday home to meet their daughter Charlotte’s new boyfriend. The catch? Charlotte is a successful lawyer but her new man is white, unemployed, and definitely not in the ‘upper’ part of any class. When his parents turn up to meet the future extended family, some old scores surface to be settled and, well – Christmas as we know it kicks off!

Like bad jokes, inappropriate presents and cheesy tunes, most of us expect, and will accept, just about anything during the silly season. This setting allows the playwright to have some fun with the clash of cultures that ensues.

Black is the New White is irreverent, blasphemous, wordy, loud, messy, non-PC – and very funny. For farce to work, the deal is that your suspension of disbelief must be rewarded with laughter, preferably in an offbeat or potentially perilous situation. Saturday night’s audience breathed a collective sigh of relief, recognising the format, and lapping up the regular laughs.

Despite some overly shouty moments, the sum of parts flourishes thanks to a fast-paced script and high-calibre actors. There is no uncomfortable ‘are we there yet?’ This is a safe journey, with consummate performers savouring the wild ride. The strength is in the secure foothold each of the four couples has on their own tectonic plate in the action: experienced actors like Melodie Reynolds-Diarra and Tony Briggs, Vanessa Downing and Geoff Morrell as the two sets of parents (opposites in race and politics, but similar in parental and relationship problems); Shari Sebbens and Tom Stokes convincing as the young lovers in their happy couple bubble (the lawyer and her new worthy cause); Miranda Tapsell and Anthony Taufa as the hilarious comedy support sibling (fashionista sista, Rose) and her ideal husband (and perfect son-in-law, ex-football star, Sonny). The ground breaks of course, when their plates collide, leaving us (and the actors) to enjoy the chaos, fuelled by a generous script that gives a Christmas cracker scene to every character.

Standing in for the Greek chorus is the Narrator (or Spirit of Christmas), played with cheeky aplomb by Luke Carroll. At first I wasn’t convinced by this device, but I was completely won over by Carroll’s performance, flitting in and out of the scenes like Puck, moving the action along and revealing some inner most secrets that otherwise would take a boxed set to explore.

As the saying goes: “Dying is easy; comedy is hard”. Lui has more than proven she can cut it in comedy. And Director Paige Rattray shows she can tackle the task too. As well as pure laughs, farce is also highly subversive. The duo use the form to inject irreverent messages about Aussie class, racism, consumerism, politics and feminism. The sideline theme of Sonny participating in TV series ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ is a brilliant way of reinforcing our own angst – no matter what our background, we’ve all watched that show and felt the fear: what if I am not who I think I am – not just ethnically, but ethically too?

Put plainly, stories, and especially funny ones, increase our understanding of a wider range of people and situations. Lui and Rattray use humour to engage our empathy. The family’s Christmas toast sums up this play’s simple but essential message: ‘Love our imperfections’.

Beth Keehn

David Spicer adds his thoughts on the return season to Sydney.

Black is the New White has made a triumphant return to Sydney on the larger stage of the Roslyn Packer Theatre. Nakkiah Liu has written a cracking comedy which turns racial stereotypes on their head. The larger canvas for the posh holiday home, with a substantial cast of eight, stylishly fills the venue.

Tom Stokes, as the fiancé Francis Smith, is new to the cast from the original season. His whiteness, which so shocks his prospective family, is displayed to the audience in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination. His clumsy attempts to say the right thing provide many of the moments that shock in this production.

Also new to the cast is Miranda Tapsell, playing Rose Jones, Francis' prospective new sister-in-law, a sassy fashionista. Their exchanges are razor sharp.

Another cast change is in the wind - the playwright Nakkiah Lui is taking over the role of Rose when the play transfers to Parramatta. This play is so good, it's worth seeing twice.

Photographers: Rene Vaile (top image) and Prudence Upton (lower images).