“Side-splittingly black” is how the promotional material described Debris and it was this information that I used to suggest covering this show to the powers that be at Squirrel Headquarters. The reality however was quite different with it being extremely dark, containing only a couple of handfuls of well placed humorous lines to break up the bleakness of the material. A person who could find more than these to laugh at must have an extremely twisted sense of humour.
The play featured siblings Michael (played by Thomas Campbell) and Michelle (as portrayed by Bojana Novakovic) who recounted stories from their lives that were so horrific and tragic that you desperately hoped were only figments of overactive imaginations. The first story started out comparatively light with Michael describing his Dad’s building of a giant crucifix in the family’s small kitchen, relating every detail of its freakishly elaborate construction that was amusing in its eccentricity. As the story progressed and it dawned on the audience that this monolith was not decorative, the atmosphere quickly turned 180 degrees and stayed that way for most of the show.
Debris is episodic in nature, with Michael and Michelle taking turns in telling the tale as monologues. Each segment began with Michelle using chalk to write the episode’s title on part of the wall that had ruled guidelines like the ones in primary school notebooks. She announced the title out loud and the story started. Each character had a particular storyline that they followed over the course of the hour, going into great detail with their descriptions to paint a vivid world for the audience. There were also a few sections in which the two told the story together, acting it out while providing a shared narration. The show concluded with some theological musings from the pair that gave the audience plenty to think about.
Thomas and Bojana portray their characters to perfection. From the moment we enter the theatre to see them in the middle of a game of hangman, they exhibit a brilliant childlike naivety with just a hint of wisdom that’s beyond their years (that’s assuming the pair were supposed to be rather young, their current ages weren’t disclosed). They both delivered the lines with the fluster of an excitable child struggling to find the right words but still with plenty of eloquence. The innocence displayed was quite a contrast to the very graphic descriptions that came from their mouths. As one told their tale the other sat on the floor either brooding or actively listening, often copping insults from the storyteller for their failings in the story. In the segments of shared storytelling they put in great physical performances and brought to life a range of grotesque characters that inhabited that gothic world, all with the wonderful exaggeration of a child.
This is a brilliant piece that is sure to leave an impression. It’s definitely not light entertainment, but it is a theatrical experience worth having.