The Victor by Adam May, Aug 31, 2000

La Mama at The Courthouse until September 16, 2000

Reviewer: Kate Herbert , 3 Aug 2000

The Victor is actually a play about a Victa lawn mower, circa 1952, which became an Aussie icon along with the Hill's Hoist.

The title refers not only to the pet name given to the mower by Jack (John Flaus) and his family, but to a battle of ownership over the mower. The victor gets the mower.

Jack treats his Victa like a member of the family. He generally gives more attention to Victor than he does to either his wife, Alma (Maureen Hartley) or his adolescent daughter, Kathy. (Donna Matthews)

Jack is retired from his job with a lawn mowing franchise, Autosmooth, but he still mows his neighbour, Mrs. Crimmins lawn on Sunday. Until she dies and her estranged American son arrives for the funeral and to claim the mower his mother lent to Jack 30 years ago.

Victor resides in the living room, is treated fondly, talked to, given a paint job and a lube and finally is hidden in Jack and Alma's bedroom to avoid being taken by his proclaimed real owner, Mal. (Chris Fortuna)

The family is quite mad. The play is absurd in style and all five characters are broad clown-like caricatures rather than three-dimensional personalities.

May, who also directed the play, draws on Australian stereotypes. Mum is church-going, ironing her tea towels and smoothing any ruffled tempers in the home. 

She craves travel away from this suburban nightmare so she obsessively buys boxes of breakfast cereal in order to win a trip to Europe, the second prize in a competition. First prize is a trip to Asia. Alma's nose crinkles with distaste at the thought of Puket and Malaysia in the best racist Aussie way.

The premise has comic potential, but May's script is not a complete  success. It circles around, hunting for a centre. Characters repeat themselves, and the laughs are more commonly from the actors quirky interpretations of character than from jokes in the dialogue.

The actors work hard but it looks like too much effort and they seem uncomfortable much of the time. They are most effective when they drop inside these weird characters rather than demonstrating and shouting to make them work.

May's direction leaves them clattering around on stage in a big empty space and he needs to find an effective comic style. Several more performances might allow the piece to relax a little.

By Kate Herbert