A View of Concrete. Malt House Theatre, Melbourne



A cat hanging itself, a rat trapped without bait, all within a literal dog eat dog world. So why the mass self induced exodus? Gareth Ellis’s Walter Cherry Award winning play A View of Concrete offers us a number of options. So what’s your poison?

Through animated soliloquies we are introduced to the three characters, a recovering anorexic, a racked paranoid and their prophetic drug dealer. The soliloquies are themselves a metaphor for each characters detachment from others and the world. Like the children’s game of fitting different shaped blocks into corresponding holes wherein a square is been forced in to a round hole. There is interaction between the characters though never a real connection to each other. The futile struggle though makes for thoughtful, challenging and provoking Theatre.

The performances, while overdramatic at times, never fell into farce, making each characters struggles and decent believable. All the actors deserve a pat on the back for their efforts. The very physical nature of the staging, the frenetic pace at times not to mention the pace of delivery and range of emotions was demanding to say the least. Feathers, powder drug of one variety or another, water, dog meat, feathers strewn across the stage as is the wreckage that remains the foot prints of each individuals existence self destruction by what ever means floats your boat the individual is central interacting though not interacting a sense of innocence lost of community values decaying


The set was minimalist in design, which accomplished all that it needed to. The centre piece of the design, a ladder surrounded in a field of suspended fluorescent tubes in the guise of a tree canopy of sorts. The natural and the build environment are one all blurred together, in a fusion that highlights the isolation between adulthood & childhood, between the past & present. The stage design reflected a lack of colour using matt black on all surfaces, to which all light is absorbed there is no reflection, save that of the drug dealers swimming pool. Set pieces included a gymnasium crash mat, swimming pool and trampoline aptly transferring energy between the actors and was used to full effect through the direction.

I’ve very rarely hear music a company plays (excluding musicals but that’s kind of given or maybe I’m just going to the wrong plays) which was great. It’s definitely underused and underrated, as a stage craft. The music sublime at times took nothing away, only adding to the performances.


The script was fast paced sharp and witty for the most part. The direction reinforced the pace of delivery that even the Gilmore Girls would be envious of. The dialogue is full to the brim with pop and cultural references run the gamut from Play School, terrorism, Einstein to Alice in Wonderland value adding and highlighting the underlying themes, rather than just for the hell of it. While many themes and discussion points are included in the script the themes of terrorism and wanting to escape this world get a great deal of attention. While the theme of the terrorist next door (ala Arlington Road) and the communist in the bed sheets is nothing new such matter given its relevance and reappraisal is necessary and vital. The world of pill popping, substance using and abusing 24 hour party people generation is explored from different perspectives. What state of mind is normal and which would you rather be in. The script has touches of Beckett and Ionesco, though its resolution is firmly grounded in traditional theatre making a strange yet engaging blend as if taking the best of both worlds.

Theatre goers be warned. If frequent constant dropping of the F-Bomb is not all that agreeable with your disposition, this might not be your bag. Spike Lee’s 25th Hour may still top most F-bombs in a three minute period but the intent is not for shock value just the way that the character interact
The simulated drug taking and references are confronting we had a number of walkouts at interval but those who persisted were rewarded with method to the madness. The energy, visceral at times, is as sharp as a whippet on methamphetamines and then some was overwhelming. Even the in ability to connect with the characters just as they cannot interact with each other, struck a cord with a pair of 80 year olds. One an immigrate, who founds the terrorist and racial vilification content of the play disturbing. They decided to stay to the end and both said they were glad they did and came to some final conclusion that Bush he’s the terrorist that we destroy ourselves.

Theatre is there to say something and not merely entertain and generate a minimum ten fold return of investment to the backers. If discussion is generated after a play, then I feel it has achieved its goal. We should be challenged. Made to question the validity of our belief, our morals, our actions and those of others and how they are interweaved and connected. Brecht believed that theatre can change cause cultural shifts and political revolution and change. Though I don’t feel as strongly that theatre can cause political shift and change a generation a the very least it should raise question of the present and the past and of where were are heading and A view of concrete achieves on this and many fronts.

Maybe the animals know something we don’t know. Maybe the ship is sinking and they have seen the forest from the trees.
This play was viewed before I headed off to the States but hadn't gotten my but around to writting a review for a friend until now so appoligies are in order.