Presented by Joanne Hartstone in co-production with Greenwich Theatre. The Queens – The Red Queen. 20 Feb 2016.
Fable is one of three productions by the Flanagan Collective this Fringe. It’s a gem, but it’s not easy theatre. It is a story about two individuals, J and Blair, who are not content with simply accepting what life throws at them in a modern capitalist society. They are not content to merely be ‘numbers’. They want something else and both want to leave a mark signifying a life well lived.
Initially we are introduced to J who is a physics teacher in Birmingham, and despite working hard and having the interests of her students deeply at heart, she becomes an unemployment statistic. In truth she always wanted to be an astronaut, or at least involved in the space program. One might say her head is in the clouds but actor Holly Beasley Carrigan imbues J with a veracity that is quite disarming and draws you in. You believe that her becoming an astronaut is indeed a possibility, despite her congenital heart defect. In the aftermath of her losing her job, J accesses a dating app and hooks up with Blair.
Blair is a tree surgeon with a penchant for poetry, and he seems to take some inspiration from the writings of Goethe. He, like J, is a restless soul and dreams of being part of the natural world and of travel. Dominic Allen plays Blair with a steely aloofness that initially creates a barrier between him and the audience, but this is soon broken down by the downright niceness of Beasley Carrigan’s J. The interaction of the two characters creates mind-worlds in time and space and the use of projections and live music create visual and aural back drops that add further impact.
Fable is a well-acted and richly layered play. It encourages us all to aim for the stars. The words of Goethe perhaps echo in our minds: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
Kym Clayton
When: 12 Feb to 14 Mar 2016.
Where: The Queens – The Red Queen
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
