Theatre review: Amphibian
Theatre
Windmill Theatre Company’s Amphibian is a must-see work for teenagers and adults that could help start some important conversations, writes reviewer Anna Solding.
Written by Duncan Graham and directed by Sasha Zahra, this polished play highlights the similarities between children of different backgrounds, as well as the importance of communication and empathy.
The two main characters – Hassan (sensitively played by Antony Makhlouf) and Chloe (Maiah Stewardson) – have been accused of stealing money while feeding the class axolotl and have been sent outside to work out who is responsible.
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
As they talk, they forge an unlikely connection, building an understanding of each other’s backgrounds and motivations. They have at least one thing in common, which is that they have been forced by their parents to leave their respective homes and face life as the new kid at school.
Hassan has fled Afghanistan as an unaccompanied minor and, through a series of flashbacks, we get to see his perilous journey. Stewardson has the mammoth task of playing not only Chloe but also Hassan’s interviewer, Katy Perry and several other roles – all of which she pulls of with grace and bravado.
Maiah Stewardson and Antony Makhlouf in Amphibian. Photo: Sia Duff
Although the subject matter is serious and meant as a conversation starter for high school students, it is also funny and the audience is thankful for the comic relief.
Amphibian is an important new work that could help start difficult but important conversations about the global refugee crisis, detention on Manus and Nauru and Australia’s appalling record of ignoring its international human rights obligations.
Amphibian is playing at the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, until September 15.
Support local arts journalism
Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia.
Donate Here
Comments
Show comments Hide comments