Plonk!
Penola Players
TICKETS: End of Season
Penola Players are a wonderful example of strength in regional theatre practice, demonstrating not only the importance of a passionate arts community, but the skill, knowledge and confidence required to make great things happen on a local stage.
Performed at Rymill Hall, Penola, Plonk! is a
murder-mystery comedy inviting its performers to embrace the playfulness and
eccentricity of its characters.
Under Steve Carli-Seebohm’s direction, Penola Players do
exactly that: construct an evening that understands both material and audience.
Carli-Seebohm’s direction allows the contrasting characters room to exist
alongside one another without overcomplicating what Plonk! needs to be. The
comedy suits its community, knowing who are sitting in front of them and
understanding what makes them laugh.
Cathy Heyn’s Heather Watson eases us into the opening moments of the play, bringing a traditional theatrical quality to her performance, appearing relaxed and natural onstage while delivering her dialogue with clarity and precision. Her composed presence suits the opening particularly well, allowing us to settle into the universe before its more eccentric characters and circumstances emerge.
Ian Kilby’s Russell Goodman quickly introduces another
flavour of comedy. Armed with a South-West English accent, exaggerated facial
expressions and an intentionally bumbling quality, Kilby understands that some
of Russell’s funniest moments are found in his reactions to others. His
expressions allow us to see the character’s thought processes before he speaks,
supporting the audience to find comedy in the smallest exchanges. Combined with
consistently strong vocal work and a relaxed, confident stage presence, Kilby
demonstrates a clear understanding of his character and the comic style.
Bec Harmer’s Jill Mason brings a playful energy to the
ensemble. Jill’s flirtatious nature gives Harmer plenty of opportunity to
explore her character’s intentions and relationships with those around her.
Harmer embraces the heightened nature of the role and commits to Jill’s
interactions. Harmer enjoys the opportunity to play with the character, and the
enjoyment helps maintain the lightness of the production.
Cate Cooper’s Maxine Jackson grew as the performance
progressed. Maxine is a heightened character that requires considerable
commitment, and as Cooper settled into the role, a noticeable energy emerged.
The more comfortable she became, the more life she injected into Maxine.
Importantly, Cooper did not allow the demands of the character to overwhelm
her. Instead, remaining present and gradually finding her own interpretation,
with her confidence strengthening noticeably through the latter stages of the
performance.
A standout performance comes from Liz Schroder’s Lynne
Daniels. Schroder’s confident stage presence is matched by impressive vocal
control, allowing her to move convincingly through her range of emotions and
tensions. Her no-nonsense strength is sustained throughout, with conviction
behind her delivery, allowing Schroder to lean into the comedy. This strength shifts
how we perceive the character: Lynne is intended to be someone we dislike, yet Schroder
brings such independence and an almost feminist defiance to the role where we find
ourselves rooting for her. While softening some of the character’s intended
abrasiveness, it makes Lynne more compelling. There is something satisfying
about watching a woman refuse to be diminished by those around her, and
Schroder gives us a character we want to support rather than condemn.
Richard Daniels’ Dave Ward brings a wonderfully contrasting
energy to the couple. A clown in the best sense, full of expression and
physical comedy, his performance becomes increasingly entertaining as he becomes
increasingly intoxicated. Ward understands how to play the fool while keeping
the audience firmly on his side; the drunker Richard becomes, the more we love
him and his ridiculous ways. His physical communication, confidence and
willingness to commit to the character makes Richard immensely likeable. Ward proves
a brilliant scene partner for Schroder. Where Schroder offers control, strength
and tension, Ward counters with looseness, physicality and chaos. Their
contrast complementing rather than competing with one another, creating a relationship
that becomes a great strength.
Finally, Ulrich Grey-Smith is Detective Harman: the Poirot
of Plonk! Grey-Smith brings a knowing theatricality to the detective and plays
confidently to his strengths. He is effective when working directly with the
audience, reading the room and adapting his delivery according to the energy
and laughter. He knows when to give a joke space, and several lines benefited
from this connection. His consistent French accent further establishes the
Poirot parody, giving the audience confidence in the characterisation and
allowing us to anticipate the comedy each time Harman returns. The nature of
Harman’s investigation allows Grey-Smith to carry a book of notes, which
generally sat comfortably within the character. At times, returning to it
interrupted the established pace of the performance. When lifting away from the
page and connecting with his fellow performers and audience, his confidence and
comic instincts were at their strongest.
The production design avoids complexity. The set serves the
play effectively with small details adding warmth and authenticity to the
space. Photographs of the actors as family photos within the onstage home is a particularly
charming, close-to-home touch, reinforcing the sense that we had stepped into Watson's
world.
Arranging Rymill Hall in a cabaret-style, allowing audiences
to share food and drinks around tables, becomes part of the experience itself, bringing
us closer to the dinner-party atmosphere and creating a welcome sense that we are
not observing events from a distance but, invited into the gathering.
There is something joyful about watching community theatre
when the performers are clearly enjoying the experience. Across the ensemble is
a generosity between performers and their connections, allowing Plonk! to find
many of its laughs. They have fun, and therefore, so do we.
Perhaps this is where Plonk! succeeds most – beneath the
murder, mystery and comedy sits something much simpler: connection, confidence
and joy. Regional theatre matters because it gives communities the opportunity
to create, gather, take creative risks and tell stories together. Penola
Players demonstrates what happens when people continue to invest their time,
skills and passion into keeping those opportunities alive.
Plonk! may revolve around solving a mystery, but there was
little mystery surrounding why the audience left Rymill Hall smiling.
- Elizabeth Stewart
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