Playing Beatie Bow, Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company

 Classic novel adaptations seem to be an easy way to bring box office for theatre companies - recently we've had "My Brilliant Career", further back it's "Grapes of Wrath", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Dr Frankenstein"  and the forthcoming "Sense and Sensibility" locally, and interstate "Jasper Jones", "The Harp in the South", "Cloudstreet", "Portrait of Dorian Gray" and "Bliss". They give a familiar structure with room for the production crew to develop a narrative conceived in another form and bring it to new theatrical life. Some can also feel a bit risk-free, trading on familiarity, or give back less than they take from the source material - but at their best it can be thrilling to see a cast fall comfortably into the arms of a grand narrative

Kate Mulvaney's adaptation of "Playing Beatie Bow" is mostly in the latter category - telling Ruth PArk's story of a contemporary girl taken back to 1873 in Sydney's historic "The Rocks" area, it's a rollicking adventure of mysticism, romance, fate and strength. Mulvaney's adaptation brings the contemporary sequences from Park's 1980 to 2021 with skill, and also attempts to stretch the very Anglo-Celtic narrative to reflect a more inclusive historic Australia. This stretch does come at the cost of pushing the running time out to around 2 hours 50 minutes, and it feels like there might be a tigher, faster version of this story out there that's been lost to a show trying to accomplish more than it can naturally fit. 

Having said that, as a demo-reel for what the newly renovated Wharf 1 can do, it can't be beat. Using the full depth of a new massive space, Kip Williams creates gorgeous stage pictures on the David Fleischer's minimal set, with the help of Nick Schlieper's lighting, in a story that races from era to era, from cramped slum home to a cruise across the majestic Sydney Harbour. There's also powerful performancs, from Catherine Van-Davies as our lead, Abigail, a tormented teen with heart, energy and drive, from Sofia Nolan as the somewhat-feral Beatie Bow, from Heather Mitchell both as the embracing Granny and the socialite modern Grandma, from Rory O'Keefe as the adorable Himbo-ish Judah, from Claire Lowvering as the romantically longing Dovey, from Ryan Yeates as the impulsively snippy Gibby, from Tony Cogin as the unrestrained Mr Bow, from Guy Simon as the tormented Johhny Whites, and from Lena Cruz as Abigail's mum. 

This is a little bit indulgent but it's adorably indulgent, and it's a great show to wash over you - this was my first acquaintance with the story, and delving into its complexities was a deeply rewarding experience. If there were a couple of sharp tonal shifts, I'm not entirely sure that all of them aren't from the source material (in particular, the brothel sequence feels like the story is moving to a more Dikensian space than the rest of the story, but it's an entertaining sideline), and it's good to see something stretching itself with skill. A good start to a year of STC works