Shadow Boxing

Though written 36 years ago for performance at Sydney’s Stables Theatre, this hour-length play shows exactly how a one-person production can carry the full weight of investigation. In this case, it’s into the masculinity and sheer brutal violence of prize fighting. The play, written by James Gaddas in tribute to his boxer father, is an extended boxing match. 

It requires, and gets in Samuel Addison, an actor who can play the part exactly as written: boxer Flynn is loud, brash and a little bit crazy. And, as his blood-stained T-shirt foretells, his end is constantly to hand.

Addison reminds us that he’s ‘never still, with too much to do’ and the part calls for constant movement, in preparation for a match or while battling a range of opponents. Biff, bang, crunch: what he has must go through each performance is amazing. And the gradual acceptance of his sexuality is handled with extreme care.

As well as playing the only part to perfection, Addison is also credited as the Designer of the show, which take place on a stark fighting ring with a full-sized mirror, a large boxing bag and a small area for bringing back the past, mainly to do with his hugely influential father who was also a boxer.

But there’s another thing that arises as he gets some success in the ring: his sexuality. Flynn finds some relief among the lost men of the night, but this is a scandal among his fans and friends, a scandal too fresh to be ignored.

Samuel Addison is the complete performer as Flynn, pounding away incessantly at his exercises or feeling the creeping influence of his death-dealing father. Even a brief diversion of the sound effects repeating itself couldn’t stop him. He just waited a few minutes and proceeded. The applause (and cheers) at the end was his just reward.

Stand-out direction by Teresa Izzard helped, as did the excellent sound design of Bec Price and the careful lighting of Christian Lovelady.

Frank Hatherley