Wake in Fright

Embarrassingly in the profound ‘deafening’ silence after the close of Wake in Fright I turned to my plus one and uttered ‘Oh My Goodness’.  This was a reflex response to a remarkable refined and intensely focused work.

Declan Greene and Zahra Newman’s Wake in Fright is a superbly crafted piece with all creative artists working in rarefied and finely tuned synchronicity.  It is frightening.  And yes it does identify and express much of the essence of Kenneth Cook’s masterpiece.

Be warned ,it is truly not for the faint hearted and does not have the redemptory conclusion of Cook’s novel, on which the work is fairly closely based.   It most particularly explores the first half of the novel.  It also deviates considerably from the text with language that is not penned by Cook.  And some incidents are modified or changed.  Most particularly it leaves the audience under the pall of a devastating and distressing conclusion. 

This production serves to make strong statements about how we swamp ‘the stranger’ with a kind of mate-ship that although seemingly born of generosity constructs an impenetrable barricade to any genuine intimacy or caring.

Zahra Newman is a formidable talent.  Her androgynous approach to conveying, in this instance, mostly male characters strips back any unnecessary embellishment and penetratingly cuts to the intrinsic spirit of the individual personalities portrayed.  Her work comments on, and highlights, how uneasily these characters interact with each other in an alcohol and tobacco fueled and otherwise seemingly barren/destructive and suspicious society.

Throughout, Composition and Multimedia Design (friendship) and Sound Design (James Paul) are mostly inseparable from fluid engrossing flow of the narrative.  Lighting and Projection Design (Verity Hamson) are both acutely affective.  All these elements assist by supporting, embellishing and elucidating the very strong and feisty work of Newman as solo performer.

All components of the production come together in a particularly percipient way when expressing the gambler’s massive rush of anticipation as a significant bet is placed.  Then there is the ‘roo shooting’ scene, and although far from literal it is exceptionally powerful.  Images that could be seen to be expressing the brutality and cruelty of what we have tacitly come to accept as ‘Australian masculinity’ are projected on a fine and transparent scrim.

A remarkably vivid and powerful work!

Suzanne Sandow

Photographer: Pia Johnson

Credits

Composition and Multimedia Design – friendship

Cast and Co-creator – Zahra Newman

Sound Design – James Paul

Lighting and Projection Design – Verity Hampson

Stage manager – Cecily Rabey