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Canberra Today 12°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review: Epic ‘River’ flows with success

“THE Secret River” is epic Australian theatre with maturity, nuance, pathos and humour.

Both historical and contemporary, this show is a collaboration between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. It depicts complex and confronting events that resonate down through generations to present day Australia. It is fitting that this show is part of the Centenary of Canberra, which is also a celebration of maturity and a coming of age.

“The Secret River” depicts the human side of atrocity; to quote the text, ” a bastard made mean by life.” It shows how the new arrivals’ sense of their right to move up in the world turned these oppressed, deprived ex-prisoners into oppressors, murderers and, ultimately, land owners.

Everything about the show exuded a sense of quality. Particularly stunning were the aural elements: live music and striking ensemble voice work. From its opening moments, the show blended the sounds of the land and of Aboriginal Australia with the songs and sounds of the British lower classes. At its climax, a well-known nursery rhyme became a macabre, punk symbol of massacre and self hate.

It’s rare for Australian audiences to see such a large professional cast (19 players) and such lavish production in a new work. Despite its length and the weight of the subject matter the show was lively and energised by cross-cultural physical comedy.

 

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Ian Meikle, editor

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