Two Weeks With The Queen

Community Theatre has never been more important than it is now. Large-scale main stage productions are just beginning to return, but not all of us have access or, indeed, the mega-dollars required for a ticket. It falls to companies like Javeenbah to keep entertainment alive in the suburbs, and they do it well and with great commitment.

Their new production is Two Weeks with the Queen, adapted by Mary Morris from Morris Gleitzman’s popular 1990 novel for young adults (older children). It’s an endearing and poignant story of 12-year-old Colin, whose younger brother Luke has terminal cancer. Colin is sent away to his Uncle and Aunt in London, and vows to get the Queen to provide the top doctors to save Luke. Though the play lacks some of the subtle nuance of the book, it nevertheless explores the nature of grief and acceptance (largely through Ted, an aging gay man whose partner is dying of AIDS) and does it in a way that is both whimsical and comical.

Director Trevor Love has taken a minimalist approach to the set…with just suggestions of place and context, allowing the audience to use their imaginations (as they should) to flesh out locations. It works on most levels, but the downside is that it restricts the blocking and makes the action quite static. Fortunately a strong cast and Trevor’s vision provide the energy and commitment to overcome this shortcoming.

It's the nature of the play (and book) that Colin is at the centre of everything, only offstage for a minute or so throughout the play. It’s a tour de force role and takes a strong performer with real stage presence to make it credible; fortunately Megan Frener is up to the task. Opening nights are about finding your feet on the stage and within the character’s skin. Megan gives us a twelve-year-old boy who sets out on a mission without truly understanding its import. There’s no doubt in Colin’s mind that he can save Luke – and so the quest is more about timing than outcome. He doesn’t accept that Luke will die. I’m sure, as the run progresses, Megan will find even more subtext in Colin’s journey. The comedy and endearing elements in her performance will be helped if we see the turning point – that moment (with Ted and Griff) when he realises that Luke is going to die and he must be home with his brother when it happens. It wasn’t quite there on opening night, but Megan is more than capable of exploring it.

As Colin’s Mum and Dad – and Auntie Iris and Uncle Bob - Claire Thorne and Chris Hawkins are rock solid and give totally different performances in their alternating roles. I was momentarily phased by Uncle Bob’s variety of accents (counted North Country, Somerset, Irish, Scottish, and Devon!) but the story is very much from Colin’s POV and in his eyes all Pommie accents sound weird, just as his accent sounds weird to them. As their son Alistair, he of the whiny voice, dandruffed scalp, and generally wimpy demeanour, Brandon Stevens – making his first ever appearance on stage – scored spontaneous applause in the airport scene where he stands up to his parents. He shows exceptional promise and command of the stage. Well done. But even at such a young age it’s never too early to learn that every line doesn’t have to get a laugh and sometimes you can let the character, however neurotic, breathe and play the pathos instead. A really impressive debut both as Alistair and the fatalistic dying Luke.

There’s great support from the ensemble cast, especially Nathan French’s cameos - but it’s the experience and genuine warmth of Stephen Nash as Ted, which carries the second act. Through him, Colin, and the young audience the play is intended for, learn the true nature of grief, and acceptance that some things cannot be changed. It’s a stellar performance.

Whilst the second act suffered from a downturn in energy on opening night, it’s largely due to the thematic change in the action to a more serious and inevitable conclusion. But there is joy to be found in Colin’s determination to face the worst, and the closing scene, with its family tableau, gives us all a chance to smile with a tear in the eye.

This is my first trip to Javeenbah, but hopefully it won’t be my last.

Coral Drouyn