‘Black Cockatoo’ was fascinating.
Sport and theatre. Two almost diametrically opposing forces that ne’er the twain shall meet. It’s a simplistic statement but an oft-heard one. While ‘Black Cockatoo’ isn’t the only play that attempts to bridge the gap, it is still a noteworthy attempt. With three-dimensional performances, subtly effective direction and innovative design, ‘Black Cockatoo’ certainly has the makings and bones of a great play.
‘Black Cockatoo’ tells the true story of Johnny Mullagh, an Indigenous Australian cricketer who toured England in 1868 with the Black 11 Indigenous Australian cricket team. Using a two-timeline structure – one set in 1868 telling the story of the tour itself and another set in the present day with four Indigenous Australians reflecting on the complicated legacy of the tour – it could easily be argued that playwright Geoffrey Atherden bit off more than he could chew. While certainly messy (with a narrator who helped/hindered to transfer us between timelines, for example), it was unquestionably a powerful story that needed to be told.
A touring production such as this is always going to be difficult on a design level. One night it’ll be playing in The Logan Entertainment Centre (where this reviewer saw the production), a large auditorium seating 1050, and the next night it’ll be playing the Underground Theatre at the Powerhouse, a smaller compact venue seating 200. And yet the set design, lighting design, and sound design need to be flexible enough to suit both venues. Richard Roberts, the set and costume designer, more than rose to the challenge, creating a museum-like set that worked well in the present-day timeline while also creating flexibility to travel back so the exhibits of the present became objects of the past.
Lighting designer Trent Suidgeest did wonders in creating intimacy in the larger space, while never forgetting the epicenes of the overall story he was helping to tell. For example, when Johnny Mullagh first appeared, the lights create a ghostlike shadow on Mullagh, which was both haunting and beautiful. Steve Francis on sound design and composition may have had the hardest job, yet he too rose to the challenge, creating a soundscape that drew audiences into the story without overpowering and distracting. A smashed window at the start of the play shocked the audience and brought them collectively forward in their seats. Working together, the design elements went a long way in creating an intimate atmosphere, which is hard to create in a half-empty 1000-seat auditorium.
Over the past 20 years, Wesley Enoch, former Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre, has earned a reputation as one of the best directors working in Australia and ‘Black Cockatoo’ certainly lives up to that legacy. Enoch, a proud Indigenous man, finds universality in cultural specificity and brings that in spades into this production. From specific cultural dances to shocking moments of racism, each moment is thought out–specific and somehow felt by everyone.
Last but not least: the performances. The five-person all-Indigenous ensemble played across time and space, expertly playing everything from upper-crust British white people in 1868 to raging activists in 2022. Brisbane theatre mainstay Colin Smith shines as slimy and manipulative Charles Lawrence; recent QPDA drama award finalist Phoebe Grainer captivates as the conflicted and pompous upper-crust Lady Lydia Bardwell; but unquestionably the star of the show is newcomer Mark Nannup as Johnny Mullagh. Nannup gives a true “star is born” performance, bringing light and shade to the complicated and conflicted Mullagh with aplomb.
Often the hardest reviews to write are the plays you feel lukewarm on. While each individual element of this production was strong, it didn’t always come together as a cohesive whole. Perhaps that is in the writing of the script, perhaps it was on me as the reviewer and my personal taste when it comes to theatre. But what is unquestionable is this: In a world where Australians rushed to mourn the passing of Shane Warne, a man who was banned from playing cricket for a year after taking drugs and routinely cheated on his wife, perhaps the story of Johnny Mullagh, an Indigenous cricketer who put up with racism, exploitation and somehow managed to change cricket forever, should be better known.
‘Black Cockatoo’ performed at Logan Entertainment Centre on Thursday, 7 April 2022. It tours to Brisbane Powerhouse on 8-9 April, and then HOTA Home of the Arts in Surfers Paradise on Tuesday, 12 April 2022. For more information visit Ensemble Theatre’s website.
Photography by Prudence Upton and Jillian Mundy.
