By the time you read this it may be too late. Nothing nasty implied … I just mean it may be too late for you to get a ticket to see Trent Dalton’s Love Stories during Brisbane Festival.
Actually, it’s playing beyond the festival, until September 29, although at Friday’s official opening night the word was that it was almost sold out. Unless that was just the folks at QPAC trying to instigate a bum’s rush for tickets.
No, I think it might really be almost sold out. If it is by the time you read this you may have to fly to Townsville to see Trent Dalton’s Love Stories at the North Australian Festival of Arts where it will head after it’s starring role at Brisbane Festival. Let’s hope they bring it back to QPAC, though. They recycle so many rehashed musicals – it would be nice to see something really good recycled instead.
It would make sense, because people love Trent Dalton’s books and it turns out they love the plays and TV series made from them, too.
Trent Dalton’s Love Stories is the stage version of a very unique book. What a brilliant idea it was of Dalton’s to sit on the corner next to King George Square with the Olivetti typewriter gifted to him by his friend’s late mum, asking people to tell him love stories. Who does that?
Well, Dalton does and this play, adapted by Tim McGarry (who adapted Boy Swallows Universe) and with additional story and writing by Dalton and his wife Fiona Franzmann, is beautifully rendered on stage as a mixture of verbatim and narrative theatre.
It brings the characters – real characters – to life in the theatre. Even more so on opening night because some of them came on stage at the end of the show to join the excellent cast, director Sam Strong and adaptor McGarry, Dalton and Franzmann as the audience rose for a standing ovation. I get the feeling there will be more of those standing ovations.
What a team. I’m not sure anyone but Strong could have directed this work. He is so genuine and empathetic and did such a brilliant job with the stage version of Boy Swallows Universe. How could you not ask him back for this one?
Getting this particular band back together was a stroke of genius by Brisbane Festival artistic director Louise Bezzina. It is tantamount to getting The Beatles back together, although that would be difficult unless you held a séance.
Instead of John, Paul, George and Ringo you have the other fab four at the helm – Sam, Tim, Trent and Fiona.
The way Dalton and Franzmann dealt with their relationship in this work is brave and moving. The characters of Husband (Jason Klarwein) and Wife (Michala Banas) are not strictly them, but their relationship is reflected here and that makes sense since their own love story is intrinsic to everything that Dalton has written. Their love story is the foundation story.
Dalton wears his heart on his sleeve while his family has mostly been happily in the background. This is the opportunity for Franzmann, also a journalist, to spread her creative wings – and that makes the production special.
The cast is terrific, led by Klarwein and Banas, and the production is neatly narrated by the utterly charming Rashidi Edward as busker Jean-Benoit. I couldn’t imagine a better person to serve as MC for this piece.
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Bryan Probets is another standout but everyone is good and the actors play multiple roles and the video work is brilliant, giving us close ups of the actors and allowing us to see their full expressions in this emotional work.
Is it too emotional? Well, it may be for some but on opening night the audience ate it up with a spoon. Dalton was, after all, a sentimental writer collecting love stories, as the sign said.
That’s how Dalton rolls and Brisbane loves him for it with good reason. Brisbane Festival and QPAC got together to back this production. It is one of the hits of the festival and a lovely local triumph.
It was brilliant getting this band back together and, for a couple more weeks, the band plays on.
Trent Dalton’s Love Stories continues at the QPAC Playhouse until September 29; qpac.com.au
brisbanefestival.com.au
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