West Gate

At 11.50 am on 15 October 1970, the West Gate bridge collapsed while under construction killing 35 workers. Despite being an historically well-documented event this tragedy has often been buried in the Australian and Victorian psyche. 

McIntosh tells this story with detailed accuracy and brings some of the central characters in this disaster to life. This play does more than just commemorate the catastrophe; it effectively highlights the way in which a deference to colonial social and economic structures contributed to the collapse. The story is not only an industrial relations landmark case or a spotlight on class and ethnic differences and power imbalances. It also reveals a great deal about impenetrable power structures and how they often come at a very high price.

The ensemble cast includes some of Australia’s finest acting talent and the performances are raw, authentic and incredibly compelling. Victor (Steve Bastoni) is played with joviality which contrasts well with the downcast Young Scrapper (Darcy Kent). Frankie (Daniela Farinacci) captures the stoic and determined nature of Victor’s widow in the face of the disaster and each of the personas is delineated and performed in a rich and highly textured manner.

The set and costume design (Christina Smith) together with the lighting design (Niklas Pajanti) are outstanding. The staging beautifully and simply captures the large-scale nature of the project, and the collapse is made extraordinarily dramatic with the exceptional aid of both the lighting and sound design (Kelly Ryall). The very chilling nature of the way workers were led to death and injury like lambs to the slaughter is accentuated via these incredible effects. The sound of the collapse was reported to have been ominously heard and felt across the entire city, and this is captured in an expert manner in this highly accomplished production.

McIntosh gives a very strong, proud and tender Australian voice to a part of a national history that deserves much greater recognition and attention. This play will go a long way in achieving this. 

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Pia Johnson

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