Review: THE BLEEDING TREE at Studio Underground At State Theatre Centre

THE BLEEDING TREE debuted in 2014 and immediately met critical acclaim, winning a heap of awards (including three Helpmann Awards and Green Room Award), and has impressed and confronted audiences throughout Australia. After a successful Blue Room Theatre in 2021, this iteration of the show has been expanded and enhanced for a run in Studio Underground, a setting which suits the play perfectly.

THE BLEEDING TREE opens with a gun shot that brutally punctuates the slowly building atmosphere. Rachael Dease's sound design is meticulous and builds atmosphere, suspense and drama as needed. The opening is no accident and the sounds lead and react to the themes of the play perfectly throughout the entire show. Chloe Ogilvie's lighting design does the same, holding the audience's gaze and mood at its will with excellent details, sometimes subtle and clever, but just like the play, sometimes right in your face.

Ebony McGuire, Stephanie Somerville and Karla Hart are the entire cast, playing the central mother and daughters trio who find themselves with a problem caused by their own solution to another problem. The three of them perfectly illustrate the mother daughter dynamic whilst holding the audience for the entire show. The dialogue of the play is wonderfully poetic, with an unmistakably Australian vernacular delivered with exquisitely designed (and executed) meter and intonation. The delivery adds a beauty to the raw and confronting themes of the show, with playwright Angus Cerini meticulously crafting the words used in the play. BLACK SWAN Theatre Company's iteration has shifted the theming slightly, bringing in darker themes at times but also adding a touch of humour. Director Ian Michael utilizes every tool available in the play to convey some sense of meaning, a tough ask given the simple set and small cast. As you reflect on the play, though, you see there is nothing in it by chance, with each word, movement, tone and prop there to elicit some sort of response.

Tyler Hill's set is another excellent feature of the show, deceptively simple at the beginning but carving out its own metaphor as the play progresses. Overall, THE BLEEDING TREE is uncompromising in its rawness and honesty. It doesn't shy away from asking questions that make the audience uncomfortable, with the three actors moving between pulling sympathy and hatred from the audience as they will. THE BLEEDING TREE will surprise you, shock you, and make you think. Most of all, though, it will entertain you.

THE BLEEDING TREE is at Studio Underground until May 14th. Tickets and more information from State Theatre Centre.

Pictures thanks to Daniel J Grant.

To post a comment, you must register and login.