Friday 11 July 1997

Roo by Angus Strachan, July 11, 1997


Roo by Angus Strachan
La Mama until July 20, 1997
Reviewer: Kate Herbert around July 10, 1997

 'Like taking coals to Newcastle' says Sydney playwright Angus Strachan about bringing his footy show, Roo, in Melbourne. In fact we haven't seen a football play for yonks; since Bouncers perhaps  although that was Rugby, not real footy!

Roo is a short, pacey piece with some peppy dialogue. Director Peter Hayes has kept it going at a cracking final quarter pace and the three actors seem to be having fun with Strachan's blokey repartee.

It is a simple story about conflict behind the goal posts in a country town team. The Coach (Peter Carmody) is old school. He believes punishment and abuse make better players and playing 'toe to toe' will win the game.

He does not count on the disillusionment of Stevo, his team captain and son (James Manser) and his star goal-kicker and adoptive son, Blue (Theo Burns).

The emotional layer is more interesting than the actual team politics and could have been further developed. These three men have a personal history which keeps threatening to take over the narrative. Blue may be the half-cast son of the Coach. He still resents his half-brother's teenage escape to a big city school. 'You've gone soft.'

The Coach's dicky ticker looks like bursting a phoofer valve, particularly with Carmody's volatile spitfire performance. Burns is a vigorously physical Blue and Manser provides the necessary balance to the two loudmouths.

Strachan's dialogue is well observed and pungent. It reeks of the clubrooms. Characters in the team have names such as Macca, Smacka, Davo and Cactus.
Strachan incorporates a few poetic monologues that draw parallels between the human and desert landscape. He creates a metaphor of a big roo being hunted down. The buck stands his ground just like the Coach under siege or the wooden-spooners under pressure.

 There are odd moments when the text sounds a little like a Marlboro ad or becomes too expository but it is well structured with strong characterisations.

Roo touches gently on race relations and the effects of drought on a community; the team are tuckered out because they've been lugging fodder to their steers all week. If they don't beat the pack of fairy sheep farmers, they'll be history!ˇ
KATE  HERBERT

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