Man the Balloon, Jan 9, 2001

by Matt Cameron

Melbourne Theatre Company

 at Fairfax Studio, Jan 9 until 10 February, 2001

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

The notion of Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) is weird and hilarious and Matt Cameron's first full-length play for the MTC, Man the Balloon, captures both elements.

The play, directed stylishly by Simon Phillips, is absurdist rather than realistic so the peculiarities of SHC are milked to the max. The dialogue is crammed with witty references to exploding people, death, God, psycho-analysis and existential crisis. It's amazing how much we can laugh at the awfulness in life.

The balance could tilt further toward the existential to give greater depth but it works as comedy. The second half is the more successful. It is surprising and chaotic whereas the first half, while funny, becomes repetitious with a few too many running gags.

The cast is a great comic ensemble. Jane Turner as Fanny is a comic suburban nightmare housewife. Her dance routine is a highlight as is Christen O'Leary's  welcome Waldo song. The others are a cacophony of mad characters.

Cameron's narrative is set in a small town that is not even on the map and at which the trains never stop. Odd objects fall from the trains to start a new village fad: yo-yos, rubik's cubes, electric scooters.

One day, the butcher's wife, mother of Elliott Schmelliot (Luke Elliot) explodes in flames leaving only her stumpy legs smoking in the grey Victorian town square. (designer Shaun Gurton) Day by day more individuals combust.

The entire church boys' choir blows up during the funeral. It is followed by a parade of exploding comic townspeople.

Hector the misanthropic cafe owner, (Francis Greenslade) leads the flammable community then the sex-obsessed psychotherapist, (Julie Forsyth the wife-hating florist, (Richard Piper) the over-eating police chief, (Ross Williams) the ambitious mayor (Forsyth), the priest (Greenslade) and Fanny Fry the self-centred socialite. (Turner)

Naive young Elliot, who believes the emptiness and loss of faith  and love in the community are causing the explosions, sends a carrier pigeon for help. The town has tried religion, then analysis. Now, they await the arrival of Waldo, (Piper) a self-help guru who turns out to be a cynical nihilist who cashes in on other people's pain.

By Kate Herbert