Away

Michael Gow’s Away tells the story of three families on holiday over Christmas 1968. The families each have their own pain and pressures, and when they are thrown together by a storm, their interactions challenge each of them.

Purely Pensive Productions’ performance of Away showcases some fantastic acting talent. Catriona Miriklis and Paul Salvatico were particularly impressive as Meg and Tom. Lorraine Williams also gave a stand-out performance as Gwen. All the acting throughout Away was consistent, although at times it was unclear whether the actors were playing for laughs or for emotion. Every line could be heard clearly despite the lack of microphones and funny lines were delivered with excellent comedic timing.
Simon Flynn, Melina Wylie, Chris Martin, Hayley Gamble and Andrew Kenny also gave impressive performances as quirky family members. The actors played off each other extremely well, capturing family dynamics in a truthful and humorous manner. In the second act when the families all came together, the subtle contrasts and interactions between the family units were some of the best moments in the show, and were extremely well acted.  
The Ensemble must also be recognised. Ensemble scenes were met with a strong audience response, and for good reason. Hilarious, and extremely skilled, they outshone some of the leads.

Jason Bovard is to be commended for his superb lighting choices. The lighting created atmosphere, set the mood for the scenes, and showed great creativity. It was a highlight of the show. In addition, it was used to break up scenes in a seamless manner. Groups of actors were all onstage at once, with lighting directing audience attention where it was needed, instead of changing sets. This made for long scenes, but caused the play to flow smoothly.
The use of music was also significant in the coherence of the show. The music that was selected reflected the sentiments of the scenes, and was used sparingly but effectively.

The stage itself was decorated in a fairly minimal, yet innovative way. Throughout Act 1, what appears to be simply a curtain is behind the action. Minimal set dressing is used, instead relying on props to set the scene. For Act 2, the curtain is pulled back, revealing a beach scene, with a large amount of real sand. It becomes apparent throughout the Act that the structure behind the curtain is not just a way of containing the sand, but also serves as a stage for the play within the play. Be prepared for a quick second act, which is almost the same length as the fairly unnecessary interval.
The stage design causes attention to be placed on the acting, but also on costumes. Stephanie Ives has excelled as a costume designer, with the costumes contributing significantly to characterization, fitting perfectly with the time period in which the show is set, and adding a lot of colour and interest to the stage. With minimal hair and makeup, the costumes were left to speak for themselves. This was a decision that paid off.

Away itself is an Australian classic, with its extremely well written characters and plot. Director Luke Morrison and his team have certainly done justice to this much-loved script. The audience is disarmed by the humour that is integral to the script, so that when the emotive thrust of the play comes it is shocking and moving. The play moves swiftly through humour, tension and sadness in a way that reminds us that in real families emotions are often mixed and circumstances are far from black and white.