Morph

When I stepped into Sydney University’s Cellar Theatre, its intimate, underground atmosphere heightened my sense of anticipation - who or what am I going to discover here?

If you’re looking for something fresh, I strongly recommend this show. Written by Australia’s big guy Brendan Cowell, Morph tells the story of ‘Grace’, ballerina and “swan”, who works and works on herself, striving for perfection. She is troubled by the peculiar ‘Be’, a suicidal “alien” who has tried, but failed, to find something beyond the reality of himself. True to the name of the show, the two undergo a transformation, both individually and collectively. And it’s here, in these changes, where the acting shines.

I do not hesitate to declare the acting of Stephanie King (Grace) and Luke Carson (Be),  flawless. King had her audience from the word go, using her graceful and subtle facial expressions to work inside Cowell’s (rather limited) dialogue. Even in her silent scenes, whether she was dancing, checking herself out in the mirror, or munching on a celery stick, she does not fail to captivate. Carson delivers also. His elastic face moved seamlessly from the goof and the ridiculous, to the serious. His stance and body presentation never allowed for a moment of boredom, always moving and changing. Together, the two really demonstrated piercing ability, and the highest of theatric passion. King and Carson had me on a journey that I was sad to see the end of.

A quick word regarding the sound technician, Travis Ash, who had, I think, all of our minds racing upon warping the beautiful sounds of Tchaivoksy’s Swan Lake, which was re-visited several times throughout the play, echoing the morphing emotions the audience experiences as the plot progresses.

I still haven’t really made my mind up about Brenden Cowell’s play-writing, but needless to say, it is worth everything to go and form an opinion of your own. Though the script was largely static and repetitive, this pair most certainly kept it alive. If you don’t get an opportunity to attend Morph in its incredibly (and unjustly!) short run, then please, give yourselves a treat, and find out what either of these two are doing next.

Sally Alrich-Smythe