Theatre / “21 Forster St”, The Q, Queanbeyan, until June 4. Reviewed by JOHN LOMBARD.

“21 Forster St” is a clear labour of love, a slapstick physical poem celebrating the history of a house and memories of an adored father.

Creator and director Kate Walder, along with performers Damien Warren-Smith and Poppy Lynch, present lively comic vignettes on the Bungendore house’s past residents inspired by oral history.

The sketches are breezy and playful, showing the absurd continuity of life with the kinetic energy of a hyperactive silent film. A macabre chiaroscuro sequence with a relentless amputation doctor is a ghoulish highlight.

The performances are sincere and unaffected, but pitched for a more intimate space than The Q, with dialogue hard to hear and some action fuzzy.

The complex blocking is impressive, with the set undergoing elaborate physical transformations to convey how the house changes with time.

Walder belabours the meaning of the piece in a direct address to the audience, but the verve and love she brings to quirky family history makes the play engaging.

John Shortis provides catchy original music for the play, ably switching styles to mirror the romance of each historical period.

At about 60 minutes, “21 Forster St” does not overstay its welcome, but the play is an ambitious experiment and has room to grow into a more confident and satisfying production.