Review: BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE at Subiaco Arts Centre

Back in 2022, BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE first graced the stage, presenting a new perspective on Aussie rules football. Returning in 2024, the world may not have changed all that much, but with two AFL premiership players forced into early retirement just this year by concussion issues, the play puts forth a heartwarming and poignant voice of reason against the passionate cries from the crowd.

AT its heart, BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE shines a light on so much of Australian life. The 80s décor of the family home, by set designer Sara Chirichilli evokes memories among much of the audience before the play starts, and many who have grown up in Australia have Aussie rules footy as a reference point, although for the Williams family, footy is not just a part of their lives but their entire lives. The way it permeates every part of them and influences their lives and relationships brings an air of familiarity to the show that make many of the jokes and ideas flow effortlessly and hit hard.

Steve Le Marquand plays Doug Williams, a legend in the small and close knit community of Donnybrook. Doug had left to become a footy star in the WAFL and VFL before returning to play for the local club where he cemented his status as legend. His loving wife Delveen is played by Pippa Grandison, and whilst she initially seems removed from Doug’s life of bumps and ball chasing, it becomes clear that Delveen has absorbed every hit in much the same way Doug did. Grandison’s portrayal of a wife who lived on the sidelines but felt as deep in the action as her husband.

Joel Jackson plays one scene as current AFL star Eckhart, a character blessed with skill that matches his arrogance. Jackson returns as the coach whose memory torments Doug’s mind, his relatable coach character gathering darker undertones as the show progresses. Ian Wilkes plays Ben, Delveen and Doug’s son and a current AFL star in his own right, yet he still struggles to shake the shadow of his famous dad. Ebony McGuire plays Mina, a sports journalist who wants to be more than her surname, whilst Jo Morris is Charaine, the third child whose shackles to the town were so strong she never left. Michael Abercromby plays Tom, the embodiment of the small town adulation of their sporting hero and a character happily oblivious to what’s happening around him.

The casting for BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE is simply brilliant, each character illustrating the undertones their characters can’t escape. Meanwhile, writer Andrea Gibbs sets the mood perfectly, a happy and thoughtful homecoming darkening as the seriousness of the multiple headknocks Doug received- badges of honour that evolve in the demons that torment him and his family- becomes more stark. There are so many genuinely funny and heartwarming parts of the show, but the perfect control of the mood (thanks to the writing as well as Lucy Birkinshaw’s lighting) keeps bringing you back.

BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE is a wonderful portrayal of life in Australia that lets us count the cost of our 80s attitudes with the many realities of modern life, and it forces us to confront hypocrisy and double standards with sharp words and a smile. It is deeply entrenched with recognisable experience, with the life of Andrea Gibbs lending heavily to it whilst portraying something recognisable about growing up in Australia.

BARRACKING FOR THE UMPIRE is on at Subiaco Arts Centre until May 5th before embarking on a tour of WA. TIckets and more information available from BLACK SWAN Theatre Company

Photos thanks to Daniel Grant. 

Video thanks to BLACK SWAN Theatre company, sourced from Youtube.

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