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- Caption: Martin Vaughan
- Description:
The Seed was like a St Patrick’s Day celebration. Staff wore shamrock hats and a rendition of the Irish ballad The Black Velvet Band welcomed us as we entered the theatre. From there we stepped into the loungeroom of Irish nationalist and grandfather Danny (Martin Vaughan) – an environment almost as comforting as a good Irish stew.
Mulvany herself plays the narrator Rose and daughter of Vietnam veteran Brian (Danny Adcock). The two have made a pilgrimage from Australia to the UK, where Rose’s Irish grandfather Danny lives. It’s the first time his son Brian has returned in nearly 30 years.
The comfort of the loungeroom dissipates as we open with a flashback to Danny as a boy 50 years ago, hanging from a barbed wire fence by his bare hands. It is a memory of an emotionally abusive childhood and a recurrent nightmare for the combat veteran.
This is the first of many images and themes that places the play front and centre as a commentary on the consequences of armed conflict and its effect on the innocent. Mulvany has utilised Vietnam and its after-effects to forcefully show that the full impact of war is never known until much later.
Mulvany also draws on her own personal narrative. Her father’s real-life exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam has directly affected her own health.
Brian’s return is a torturous affair and although now in his 50’s, he is still a child in his father’s eyes. The return forces the facing of family secrets and hidden fears. Rose sees it as an opportunity to advance her career as a writer. What bursts open is a snakepit of family secrets, lies and the untold.
While the first act is slow to build, by the second half the world of the family is firmly created and the emotional tension catapults.
For most of the play the backdrop of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations adds a layer of tension, with a sound design beautifully enhanced by Steve Toulmin. Added to this is some phenomenal dialogue and Adcock and Vaughan both delivering characters that are beautifully complex.
Mulvany says in the writer’s notes that this isn’t a play about victims. But it is about victims, and it is also a beautiful work from a burgeoning writer that shines a pure light on war.
- Actor/Actress/Director: Martin Vaughan ( photos )
- Movie: We of the Never Never
- Id: 10859204
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