BWW Reviews: THE PAVILION

Craig Wright's The Pavilion is a wonderfully thought provoking piece of theatre. Boutique Theatre's presentation of the Australian Premiere of this piece captures the essence of the writing and presents it simplistically and elegantly. At the heart of the story are Pater (Tim Constantine) and Kari (Katharine Innes), high school sweet hearts, who split when Peter left Kari after she fell pregnant with his child. The Pavilion is set 20 years on from this moment at the reunion of the class of 1995 where Peter ultimately comes to try and rekindle the love he had for the now married Kari. On the periphery of this is the Narrator (Claire Pearson) who opens and closes the show with some lengthy philosophizing and then acts as the multiple supporting characters that intertwine throughout the reunion and ultimately the moments shared by Peter and Kari.

The three performances are all quite remarkable. Constantine as Peter is so thoroughly consistent both in character and performance. His evolution of understanding the repercussions of his actions culminates in the most beautiful moment in Act 2 between him and Kari, alone on a bench, having a conversation. That is the power of this piece. The writing is enough. Beside the seconds shared between Peter and Kari, nothing else genuinely matters. This is where the Narrator is a slightly problematic character in this piece. Besides acting as the omniscient figure, the character often intrudes on a moment, for intrusions sake. While Pearson's performance of the Narrator is quite stellar, often the characters silence is more powerful than its voice. Innes' performance as Kari grew throughout the evening and built impressively, continually evolving, coinciding with the depth and desperation of the situation. Craig Wright draws more and more out of Kari as the play progresses. Innes' takes on Wright's challenge and meets it head on.

Byron Bache's direction is clever, utilizing the space and the surroundings to further enhance the writing. The simplicity of Act 2 that is developed functions as a stable foundation for the actors to deliver Wright's pinpoint writing. Coupling Bache's sensibility of the text is Nick Casey's set design, which becomes a perfect representation of the past being torn down for the present.

Boutique Theatre has created an enjoyable piece of theatre at venue that they should want to make their home. The development of more work is no doubt on the cards, because this presentation of The Pavilion is all class.

The Pavilion

The Industrial School

Abbotsford Convent

Until November 14

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