Sitting in an Indonesian holding cell is Australian national and Drug Mule Stewie Smith. Consular Aide Bryce McIntyre is sent to sort out the mess, only to find that Stewie is one difficult character.
Directed by Adrian Calear and starring Chris Kennett and Melbourne comedy legend Tim Harris, you could easily go into this play expecting it to be wall to wall laughs, however that is far from the reality. This is an intensely serious show about drug smuggling in South East Asia but fear not, there are a handful of humorous comments uttered by Stewie to lighten the mood at appropriate moments.
Chris and Tim have recently worked together on radio when Tim filled in for Declan Fey on “The Pinch” showing that they can bounce ideas off one another with ease. This dramatic pairing works just as well with each interacting with each other effortlessly.
Bryce as played by Chris shows a character with a sufficient amount of snobbery and prejudices. He initially treads lightly around Stewie for as long as possible before caving in to Stewie’s taunts and threats and expressing how he really feels. Being relatively new to the job and thrown in at the deep end by his superiors, Bryce is allowed to display some personal elements of himself rather than just being an emotionless suit from the government.
Tim’s casting as Stewie is a perfect fit. There are some elements of his stand up persona in this character that enhance Stewie with Tim’s dark attitude showing through. Even though Stewie is supposedly stereotyped as a Bogan, Tim’s usual eloquence pokes through at the appropriate times. The sarcastic comments, cynicism and world weariness show Stewie to be one tough cookie. In a side rarely seen in Tim’s other character work there is a wonderful display of Stewie’s vulnerability.
The stage is sparsely set, featuring only two metal chairs thus creating no distractions from the dialogue between the two protagonists. The power shift between the two is well paced as is the overall storyline. Despite your initial impressions of the characters, you genuinely feel for both of them as the stage fades to black.
This play is an extremely powerful piece that explores a current hot topic while making plenty of comments about Australia and it’s place in the SE Asian region, the current social and political climates, and the basis of human nature. In addition to this theatrical experience, it is also worth a look to see how these gentlemen have made the transition to the serious stage from their usual roles as magicians of mirth.