Last Cab to Darwin

Last Cab to Darwin tells the true story of terminally ill Max Bell, a Broken Hill taxi driver, and his journey to Darwin to take advantage of the Northern Territory's newly created euthanasia laws. On the way, Max encounters odd-ball characters in the country towns that he passes through, until he finally reaches Darwin.

The story was told on a functional set with a background of corrugated iron, the front of a car and a screen depicting the road north. Music that varies from Midnight Oil to Abba accompanied Max on his journey.

Max was brilliantly portrayed by veteran actor Michael Price, who acted like a laconic Australian, full of humour and comfortable in this dry, dusty environment. His near neighbour Polly was played by PNG actress Dobi. She is a powerful performer of many years experience and it showed. Both Price and Dobi worked well together, reflecting the long-term relationship of their characters.

A large ensemble made up the rest of the characters, all playing multiple roles. Indigenous actor Simon Hapea as Tilly was outstanding as a hitchhiker in Max's cab, as were Jonathon Telcher, Mark Chivers, Michael Gleed, Lynn Cropp, Chandra Ennis, Alan Searle, Rosa Powell, David Harrison, Joanne Shade and Sarah-Jane Bellamy in various roles. The political scene in the Northern Territory parliament was very well done, as were several of the pub scenes.

However, the play was a little too long and Cribb's writing sometimes went off on a tangent, almost into another story. The Tidy Towns scene almost became another play. It needs removing or re-writing to include Max more. That said, it was a good, humorous and emotional production. The play was well directed and presented by Kevin West and his hard working team.

Ken Cotterill

Image: Dobi (Polly) and Michael Price (Max) in a scene from Last Cab To Darwin. Photo by Paul Barton.