Whitefella Yella Tree, Griffin theatre company, The Stables, 19 Aug-23 Sept (and Canberra Theatre 28 Sept-1 Oct)

 

Two young men meet under a strange new tree. They're from seperate tribes - one's from the River Mob, one's from the mountain mob. They're there to exchange information about the white people who have started setttling in their neighbourhood. We get to learn more about the young men - how they're being raised to take part in their seperate tribes. And as they meet more times, it becomes apparent there's an attraction between them. But the tree's fruit hints at how bitter things are going to become. 

A simple story looking at our colonial history from a different angle, this plays out stylishly and simply on a  set showing the mountain ranges and an impression of a tree (branches on the roof, stump on the ground, middle area clear to stop it blocking the audience's view. Writer Dylan Van Den Berg drops in the changing situation both in the boys lives and in the wider world, interweaving them to illuminate the way colonialisation inevitably seeps into their lives at the expense of their individual desires. The dynamics between the two characters are never fixed - both change and are changed by their circumstances. 

Guy Simon has been a regular on Sydney stages for a few years now, and he shows why with this performance - as the more serious of the duo he finds himself trapped by his own good intentions, unable to recognise how over-his-head he's gotten. This is the first time I've seen Callan Purcell in anything and he matches Simon, as the supposedly less street-wise of the pair, your heart goes out to him as you see the journey he takes trying to hold onto his identity as everything that defines it is stripped away. 

Co-directors Declan Greene and Amy Sole give the show a clean, respectful production that serves the performers and the script very well - it's good clear storytelling that feels essential in showing human connection in the face of potential brutal opression. 

I'd absolutely recommend people catch this while it's out there, either at Griffin or on the tour. It's heartbreaking, funny, wise and true.