The Almighty Sometimes (Off The Ledge Theatre) - Review

 

VIVIENNE:

'“Look up, look up, look up,” the little girl said, and she flew around her mother, and did somersaults in the air, and walked along the clothesline, and made silly faces at the window, while the mother cried, and the skin turned to slush in her hands.'

 

 Pictured, from left to right: Anna (Winsome Ogilvie) and Oliver (Robert Kjellgren)
Credit: Photox - Canberra Photography

 

November seems to be a month of challenging theatre, both well-known and not. Despite the deep-seated discomfort these experiences can usher forth, it's good to know (depending on how you look at it) that today, there remain playwrights capable of taking your heart and crumbling it into their hands over the course of a Two-Act play. Such is the effect of The Almighty Sometimes, an Australian family drama by Kendall Feaver, and the debut production of Off The Ledge Theatre. Despite this rather bleak picture I've painted for you, The Almighty Sometimes is a piece that remains optimistic, yet uncompromising in where it dares to explore the relationship a family may have with mental illness. It is a deeply turbulent piece on an emotional level, so great care is required when navigating a staging of it; especially when such an intimate show is to be performed on a stage as grand as the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. Luckily, I am happy to see it presented with such great care; this utterly powerful script has been given a worthy staging in the hands of this cast and crew.

 

Director Lachlan Houen presents an impressively realised staging of this work upon the Q stage. Houen's most impressive directorial mark is his ability to leverage the personalities provided by his actors in making an otherwise empty space feel sufficiently populated; Houen has impressively brought an air of emotional intimacy to this production through an attention to focal draws in the blocking of his performers, especially in their early dialogue scenes, where their positioning clues the audience in to the inner struggles that are to become the focus of discussion. There is also a use of movement in capturing audience attention while adding to the emotional power of the piece, effectively showcased in a sequence in the second Act, wherein the actors flash in and out of sight, performing the rawness of the sequence with only their silhouettes against the stark project backdrop. It is in this moment that Kristy Griffin's remarkable movement direction is utterly perfect in wordlessly portraying the emotional climax these characters have reached. 

 

Pictured, from left to right: Renee (Elaine Noon) and Vivienne (Steph Roberts)
Credit: Photox - Canberra Photography

 

When noting the exceptional presence of such a cast, it is hard to believe that only four characters occupy the stage throughout its duration, which speaks to the level of quality on offer from this fine cast of actors. Winsome Ogilvie is devastating in the central role of Anna. Ogilvie portrays Anna with a sensitivity that reminds the audience of the deep waters she struggles to navigate in the day to day, yet does not shy away from the atrocious collateral damage she is capable of inflicting upon her fellow human. What is remarkable about such a performance is Ogilvie's ability to present a character that causes not just internal conflict amongst the other characters, but amongst the audience as well; it is a performance that is purposefully beautiful and ugly in equal measure. She is matched well by Elaine Noon, who offers an impressively restrained performance as Renee, while dealing devastating bursts in the many moments of conflict with Ogilvie's Anna. Noon embodies Renee with a sincerity that is undeniable, and yet that sincerity is often tested, accompanied by a nuanced desperation that renders her character's struggles equal amongst the discussion, superbly complementing the greater themes of the show as an exploration of the effects this illness may inflict on a larger scale. 

 

The two are supported phenomenally by Robert Kjellgren in the role of Oliver, whose patient persona with Anna's flaws cascade into a heartbreakingly honest, yet reasonable epiphany during the second Act that is portrayed sensibly and with class by Kjellgren. And rounding out the cast, Steph Roberts provides a phenomenal supporting presence in the role of Vivienne, who grounds the show's discussions of mental health, while also illuminating the true nature of discussions surrounding those struggles, and the continued difficulty in navigating that uncertainty. 

 

Houen's lighting design is remarkably dynamic, lending itself to intense shifts in both the physical scenery and Anna's mental stability. Sound Designer and Composer Marlene Radice also adds to the dynamics of this show's vision by utilising simple tracks that alter depending on the implications of each sequence as they occur, assisting in establishing each sequence's mood from the outset. Caitlin Baker's set design is an impressive feat, portraying Anna's world as consumed by great paper scrolls of her writing that line the walls of her world, with the starkly-lit backdrop behind them letting in cracks of light, and demonstrating the insecurity of such a refuge. Baker, with assistance from Liv Boddington, was also responsible for dressing not just set, but cast too, providing costumes that are simple, yet effective in drawing distinctions between the characters. 

 

The Almighty Sometimes is a show presented with a brutal honesty that stings, but not in a way that leaves an audience desolate. Its direction is top-notch, its cast is phenomenal, and the other creatives at work all contribute to the play's superb atmosphere. Should you possess the emotional strength to embark on such a journey, I recommend you do so; The Almighty Sometimes is a remarkably challenging debut from Off The Ledge Theatre, and it is a debut worth catching.

 

 Tickets: https://theq.net.au/whats-on/the-almighty-sometimes/