“THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE” Spoiler-free Review

4.0 out of 5 stars

LOC’ALLY THEATR
6 SHOWS ACROSS 3 WEEKS – YOU CAN’T USE THE “I WAS AT ANOTHER FRINGE SHOW” EXCUSE

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Opening Night is Saturday 2nd March with performances at the Parks Theatre, Angle Vale.

Story by Andrew Bovell

Loc’ally Theatr was conceived in late 2023 by Lochie Daniel and Ally Gum, and with a talented cast, they are about to debut their first production, Things I Know to be True, penned by local playwright, Andrew Bovell. It needs to be noted that this preview lacked the presence of Lizzie Zeuner and understudy Kayla Cranfield for Pip Price, and as such, Production Manager Ally Gum stepped into the role for the first time for the Preview run and did a great job!

If you’re looking for a fun, happy, hilarious piece of theatre – this is not for you! It pulls on the heartstrings at least 4 times, and twice on Sundays, with a powerful climax ending Act 1… only to be outdone by the climax and tears at the end of Act 2. I’ll say no more…

While the tagline is “a powerful Australian story about the strength of family love”, it neglects to mention that it’s based in Adelaide. I’m putting on my to do list to find any other plays based in Adelaide, as that alone added to the familiarity and connection between audience and story. The great debate about the Southern Expressway vs the coast road to Hallett Cove is one I completely understand! If everyone is only the expressway, there’s nobody in your way on the coast road is a perfect example.

Further connecting to the play is the strong family theme and the struggles they face throughout – we all have a family, in one form or another. We all have loved ones. Many have brothers and sisters they look up at and admire or look down to and coach. It was all there, and through despite the dysfunction, I wanted to be part of the Price family. Before considering the various plot points throughout, these two reasons made me feel a connection to the family. Made me feel for each, and every character. But much of that work is courtesy of the actors behind the roles.

Beginning with the patriarch of the Price family, Bob doesn’t ask for much – just total honesty – and when he doesn’t get it, tensions rise and hearts are broken. Expertly portrayed by John Rose, Bob is a strong-headed character who is set in how the world operates. Completely relatable to us with parents born in the 60s or 70s. Rosen’s work shows the individual connection with each family member, through the interactions with the other characters. It is evident that Rosen has created a relatable character for us to believe. Make what you will of Bob’s relationship with the garden and his roses.

Next to Bob is Fran, the woman of the house. Fran is usually right and has great instincts when it comes to her children. Portrayed by Hayley McGill, Fran is the mother of four kids, who likes a sneaky cigarette! McGill’s portrayal of Fran gives the audience an insight into a mother’s intuition – we’ve all heard about it, here it is! Fran isn’t always the most likeable character through various plot points throughout the year that passes, but deep down, we all know she means well, even when she’s lost for the right words in a situation. McGill gave Fran a premise that delivered on giving the audience a mum they too, can relate with.

Throughout Act 1, we don’t get a lot of storyline from Ben, portrayed by Jarrod Matulick, never seeming to be stopping by the family home for more than a moment. However, Act 2 serves us character development that won’t come easy for an audience to agree with the outcome, nor would they condemn Fran’s actions. Ben seems like the black cat of the family, being able to climb into a higher socioeconomic by means of his employment, with the rich European car (on finance) and the suit – but not is all it seems. This storyline gives Matulick something to work his magic upon and delve deep into the characteristics, mannerisms, and motivations of Ben’s character, and he does not fail.

Originally introduced to us as Mark, the second son seemingly lives an uneventful life, having broken up with their partner. However, Mark soon reveals to the family that they are transgender, has been seeing a psychologist for 12 months and will be starting hormone treatment – in Sydney, much to the bewilderment and disbelief from the parents. Gwydion Rozitisolds does an amazing job tackling the task of respectfully portraying this role.

The baby of the family is Rosie. In comparison to Rozitisolds’ height, it shows without a doubt that Tianna Cooper was destined to play this role. The show opens with the cast taking their bows, then a small scene foreshadowing the end before the first major scene, where Cooper takes us to Berlin in a monologue I estimate to span over 4 pages. Across this monologue, we learn of a devastating tale (heartbreak #1) that sends Rosie back to Australia, back to the family farm where nothing changes (how wrong she was). Across the rest of the story, Rosie was always attentive to the action happening around her and protective of her older siblings. With little dialogue in many scenes she appeared, the audience relied upon the non-verbal cues to feel what Rosie was feeling, and it was conveyed perfectly. Tianna’s performance in the climax of Act 2 will break hearts and will have many, many tears rolling across the 6 performances – but let that be the reason to see Things I Know to be True!

It's unfortunate I’m unable to review Lizzie’s performance of Pip, but if her standard is in line with the standard that I saw tonight, which I’m sure it will, then it is a very rounded pool of talent that Adelaide is lucky to have.

I look forward to seeing what other works pop up in the near future by Loc'ally Theatr. They have proven to be a new company with a niche in the Adelaide theatre community.