Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (reviewed opening night Thursday 9 January)
Willy Russell’s Stags & Hens is a universally loved play with lots of tongue-in-cheek wry observations about the myths of a perfect marriage. The (mostly) boomer crowd on opening night at New Theatre absolutely ate it up; it felt like ‘British Newtown’ with a twist of pop culture cringe where the ladies swoon over Rod Stewart. Unknown to the characters of the bride-and-groom-to-be (Dave & Linda), their friends have chosen the same pub to hold their Stag & Hen’s party. Will their last night of independence and freedom be a joyful celebration, or a complete disaster for their upcoming nuptials?
Blank Slate Productions’ approach is vibrant, jazzy and real. We smell the cigarette smoke (possibly weed?) all the way in the back row. Every joke lands with a huge belly laugh. The staging of gender-separate bathrooms where the action takes place allows for fluid pacing and side-by-by side comparisons of our stags and hens. Like a Venn diagram they do have one thing in common – uncertainty about their future as a married couple, the sheer responsibility of it all and the daunting prospect of – eeep! – growing old and fat together.
The actors shine in their roles with scruffy Liverpudlian accents and glittery 70s costumes that still feels contemporary. Of his cast, director Johann Walraven writes:
I am also grateful to this wonderful cast, who have had me in tears of laughter many times, and have broken my heart in the best ways.
This very much sums up the essence of this production: timeless, brazen, authentic and nostalgically bittersweet.
Stags and Hens by Willy Russell is playing at New Theatre till 25 January. For tickets and showtimes, go to https://newtheatre.org.au/stags-hens/
CREDITS:
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Johann Walraven
Set Designer Benjamin Itaba
Lighting Designer Mehran Mortezaei
Dialect Coach Jonathan Mill
Stage Manager/Operator Ricci Costa
CAST
Grace Easterby, Jonah Elias
Benjamin Itaba, Kirra Jones
Chester Lenihan, Jonathan Serafino
Ellen Peebles, Ava McClean
Cameron Sutton, Hunter Taylor
Madeleine Zinner
IMAGES
Robert Catto (robertcatto.com)
What a laugh! I had the pleasure of seing this last night.
Having grown up in smokey boozers and cheap night clubs of 70’s London, I could totally relate to the scenes, diaglogue and interactions on stage.
Feelings of desperation emerge from all the characters as they grapple with making sense of their lives in the construct of working class England. Do they stick or twist? Either accept their lot, or stick their heads up and have a crack at breaking free.
One character is trying the Rock ‘n Roll route but when coming back home to Liverpool he’s met with a barrage of diferent opinions as to his likelihood of sucess.
If you want to see the roots of youth culture that emerged into the 1976 Punk revolution and beyond, this is the play for you.
Thank you Gerry for this audience review! Glad to hear you enjoyed the performances, which definitely brought a lot of laughter (and memories) for a full house!