BWW Reviews: THE DAPTO CHASER Takes A Look At The Hard Reality Of A Family Divided By Greyhound Racing And Gambling

Saturday 11th July 2015, 7pm, SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross

Mary Rachel Brown's THE DAPTO CHASER lets the audience become a fly on the wall and witness a family torn apart by Greyhound racing and gambling. The gritty reality of the poverty, corruption, obsession, and deception that engulfs the Sinclair family is coloured by the emotions that are unearthed.

Set in a rundown living room in the Illawarra suburb of Dapto, with stained carpet, treadmill with toy rabbit hanging off the handlebar and a dog cage situated in the rear corner, the crotchety old Errol Sinclair (Danny Adcock) sits in a worn out recliner rocker fitted with an oxygen tank as he fiddles with an old transistor radio, attempting to listen to the racing station as he checks the form guide. His put upon son Jimmy (Jamie Oxenbould) attempts to care for him but does not share his father's interest in betting. As the dialogue between the two unfolds, the extent of the damage that his father's training and racing of greyhounds had on the family and the inability for the sons to escape the past becomes clear with older son Cess continuing the dog training and Jimmy working for Errol's long-time rival Arnold Denny (Noel Hodda).

Whilst the story revolves around the Sinclair family, continually struggling to survive, it is utilises humour both in the text and the physicality of the work. Drawing on familiar actions, phrases and observations, the audience is engaged to want to know what happens to the sons after their father's death. Recognisable challenges such as finding a radio signal and stopping the treadmill, paired with variations on familiar turns of phrase and quick witted quips lightens the mood in amongst heavier emotions and weighty decisions that are unearthed.

Oxenbould presents Jimmy with a naivety that stems from his youth and a disgust at his father's passion for the dogs and the gambling yet still being unable to escape the world as he drives the lure truck at the racetrack. Sydenham is the dominant brother following in his father's footsteps as a trainer, working with the last remaining dog, the invisible 'Boy Named Sue' who has become more than just his future meal ticket as demonstrated by the mime of playing with the animal.

Hodda presents Arnold with a grotesqueness that proves Errol's impression that he is slimy and untrustworthy. From his physicality to the manipulation of the boys, Arnold makes the audience more sympathetic to Jamie and Cess' situation.

Whilst some may see this as a comedy, Director Glynn Nicholas has also drawn out the gritty reality behind the story that makes it unsettling to see the audience laughing at a society that most would never interact with. Brown's dialogue is clever and well delivered by the experienced ensemble but the nature of the situation serves to make it more uncomfortable than humorous for some as the truth that this fiction could be a current reality makes it feel wrong to laugh at. There are general references that people of a certain generation will recognise and be amused at but there are also complex issues being addressed. The cycle of poverty, the addiction and the lasting effect on families, the loyalty and love, and the disappointment is more moving than the comedy.

THE DAPTO CHASER is a well-paced work that explores humanity that, whilst centred on the greyhound racing culture, covers universal issues. The characters have been created with a realness and depth and interpreted with the right balance by the cast to ensure that they aren't mocking the people of the Dapto track that Brown used as her inspiration.

THE DAPTO CHASER

1 - 25 July 2015

SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross NSW

Photos: Robert Catto

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