THEATRE: TOY BOX
Review by Duncan McLeod
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Cast: Sarah Loxley, Sylvia Keayes, Christ Turner, Jenny Dibley, Dave Kirkham
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Review: TOY BOX is a great opening salvo for the subtle nuance theatre 2011 season. Where Gilchrist’s recent works have been about travelling somewhere, this engaging family drama could have been played out anywhere. There is heavy emphasis on family and the various dynamics of life changing situations that make good fodder for the theatre. Gilchrist has done well to select common themes. He chooses not to lay them on too heavily so that they will not overcome the audience or labour the dialogue.
The staging is simple and effective. Despite the somewhat erratic behaviour of the characters, their moments are restrained and fluid. This ensures audience engrossment from the outset.
Sarah Loxley is a continually engaging performer. This is the third piece this reviewer has seen her in, and once again she did not disappoint. Her role as a mother figure is not unfamiliar territory for her; however, like previous roles Loxley was able to bring a new level of emotion to the character. There was an air of pensive behaviour in the manner of the character that made things abrasive and judgemental, however, that did not detract from Loxely’s embodiment of Kate.
Sylvia Keays as the childless and child-like Olivia was excellent. Her radiance on stage was refreshing and captivating. Whilst this reviewer’s experiences don’t match that of Olivia, Keays was still able to provide enough material for personal connection and conviction in her delivery. When Keays was playing it straight without emotion she was more real than when she injected emotion into her performance. For this reviewer this is where she lost some credibility as at times her anguish felt forced.
There is always comedy in good tragedy and in TOY BOX, Chris Turner was it. His character couldn’t have been a more quintessential 20-something Australian male if he tried. Not having seen Turner’s work before, there is no baseline. With that in mind, if this is his general standard then Turner has a strong future in comedy. Turner injected the right amount of humour into the role to make it his own.
Jenny Dibley and Dave Kirkham as the parents who fall foul are credible. Neither of them really delivers on their promise. Dibley’s mother character is too overwrought to be likeable and Kirkham has too small a part to be afforded the opportunity to win over the audience. This is not down to their performance though as Gilchrist focuses on how people cope with their parents in the decline of their lives, not how parents deal with their ailments.
Comedy + Tragedy = family indeed
