Sweet Road by Debra Oswald, Aug 3, 2000

by Debra Oswald Playbox at Merlin Theatre until August... 2000

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

In our wide brown land, we understand 'being on the road'. We travel vast distances on straight roads between towns separated by hundreds of empty kilometres.

There is a sense of liberation is such journeys and Debra Oswald's bitter-sweet, episodic play, Sweet Road, interweaves several such stories.

Director, Aubrey Mellor, with designer, Kathryn Sproul, keeps the stage open and spacious like the desert roads. Vehicles are wheeled on and characters talk directly to us from behind the wheel, on the roadside, at 'servos' or caravan parks.

The road symbolises escape and fantasy. Each character leaves something behind and looks for fulfilment in an unknown place.

Some follow their dreams. Andy (Steve Greig) is child-like, loving and optimistic to a fault. This engaging, eccentric young man, is crossing the desert with his dog, kids and frustrated wife, Carla (Michaela Cantwell).

He chases a good life and a lucrative racing tip on the road to Merwillumbah. Carla seeks a safety for her children and an end to Andy's unpredictable, unwitting betrayals.

In a caravan park, they meet Frank, (Don Barker) an old bloke who is on a trip helping him escape his wife's sudden death.

Bouncy Yasmin (Elizabeth Friels) pursues the tingling sensations of love. Michael (Dominique Sweeney) escapes the accidental death of his child and the pain in his wife's eyes.

The play starts with Jo, (Victoria Eagger) who hits the road when discovering her husband's infidelity. She obsessively drives north to dispose of his husband's sailing trophy, a poignant act of revenge.

The performances are strong, particularly from Greig who portrays with great details and sympathy, the eccentric Andy. Barker's Frank is warm and truthful while Eagger finds an appropriate hysterical quality in Jo. "Looking for love? It's between 'lying' and 'lust' in the dictionary."

The script is stronger in the second half when it uses less monologue and exposition. Dramatic tension increases with dialogue and crisis. The strongest scene is Frank telling Andy about his wife's death. The play craves moments of silence and stillness.

People seek solace in strangers, find humanity and find themselves away from home. Space open road gives us time to think - unless we're Andy who will never change.

By Kate Herbert