Engine

Company: Northern Rivers Performing Arts and La Boite Theatre Company
Venue: Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane
Dates: 4 - 14 August 2010

The play has an interesting concept: the rebuilding of an old car engine is used as a metaphor for the rebuilding of lives after a fatal car crash, one that actually happened in northern NSW, and its a very powerful and emotional theatrical trip.

Grandad, called Grumpop by his family was helping his grandson Stevie to rebuild the car before they had an argument and Stevie went off for a joy ride with his mates. There was a crash and he was killed. Since the crash the car shell and the engine have sat in the garage in limbo, just like Stevie’s traumatised family. Schoolgirl sister Tash spends more and more of her time in the garage to the extent of sleeping in the car shell. Stevie was her hero and she is in deep shock and suffering agonising grief. Her grief turns into self harm rebellious bad language and wagging school.

Her mother has gone into total shock and can’t even bother to get dressed any more as she mourns her son while Dad has turned into a fanatical road safely campaigner. No-one has time for the other at a time when everyone needs each other. Grumpop moves into the home to try to help, but he is filled with guilt himself because he feels that if he had been more positive in helping Stevie rebuild the car, the boy would have had his own wheels and not been out with his hooning mates. When Tash decides to try to finish the job of rebuilding the car Grumpop refuses to help her and she goes it alone.

All the characters are played by two actors, Queensland Theatre Company 2010 emerging actor Melanie Zanetti and Bob Baines, better known as the former Summer Bay High school principal.

All the character changes are done on stage with simple costume changes, all neatly tucked away in boxes and old washing machines that are stowed away in the garage. Tash switches to Mum by wearing a pink dressing gown and clinging onto Stevie’s old doona cover; a baseball cap on backwards turns her into Stevie; Grumpop with baseball cap becomes Stevie’s mates and with a change of body language is Dad.

It all worked well enough, although I didn’t like scenes where Mum and daughter has conversations and Zanetti jumped around like a comic schizophrenic. It was not a good look.

There is a chorus of four teenagers, on opening night from Clairvaux MacKillop School, who play out driving scenes, doing all the things that typical P-Platers, who think they are bullet proof do, like speeding, drink driving and generally hooning around. It worked well and created a sense of dread at times.

The whole cast played out one scene as crash test dummies which brought a bit of lightness into what was a pretty stark scenario, but I couldn’t see what it had to do with the plot.

Melanie Zanetti I thought was brilliant as Tash. She’s a tiny thing with a wonderful face and eyes, which she used well to win over the audience. She broke hearts I’m sure as she talked to her dead brother and tried to stop the pain by inflicting more pain with the aid of a Stanley knife. She slipped easily into her distraught mother and again into the hip, cool brother. Bob Baine was best as Grumpop, but again switched well from character to character.

The show runs for 75 minutes but provides an enthralling if harrowing at times night.

The play, with an aim of showing young people the horrors of the aftermath of teenage car crashes, is on tour and has been a big draw with young audiences. It passes on a strong message, but I wonder how effective the message will be. Will teenagers ever stop believing they are bullet proof? Tickets are only $30 each with a $20 under 30 price. I’d recommend that parents take their teenagers to see it. You never know, it might work and keep some kids alive.

Eric Scott

To read more of Eric Scott's theatre reviews, check out Absolute Theatre.