Doku Rai (You, dead man, I don’t believe you) is a rather unusual night at the theatre, as the title suggests. It is, however, 90 minutes of continual action, simple but seamless scene changes, and a plot that will have you laughing hysterically one minute and questioning if you should duck for cover the next.
Doku Rai is a tale of two brothers locked in an ongoing violent feud, resulting in confusion, violence and frustration. Produced collaboratively by theatre company The Black Lung and a gang of brilliant Timorese musicians and artists who spent two months living and working together in an abandoned hotel off the coast of Dili, this is Haphazard theatre at its best.
There’s no sitting around waiting for the all clear from front of house in this production, with the small ensemble made up of guitarist, drummer and four vocalists already delivering powerful songs as you enter the theatre. The action soon turns to a video projected onto a stage-width screen that takes the audience into the unforgiving jungles of East Timor, with raw footage consuming the theatre with incredibly visuals, aided by the projector’s light lingering in the smoky auditorium. I’ve never been more engaged by video in a theatrical production. As the simple white screen drops, the stage is revealed, allowing the continuation of a narrative which crosses many a boundary, including that of decency, but not just for the sake of it; this story is immersive and raw.
As machete-wielding performers ran up the aisles of the theatre, the concern in the eyes of the patrons surrounding me could not have been further removed from the sounds of laughter surrounding me seconds earlier. Within seconds another hairpin turn has the audience in raptures of laughter again. I can’t single out a performer as everyone in the small cast held my unwavering attention. The adage that one should never work with animals is also ignored, with a lone rooster also holding its own.
Director and designer Thomas M Wright has created a visual feast, albeit on a relatively minimal set. The powerful video sequences continue throughout the production, later projected onto the set itself. Doku Rai is performed in Tetum, English, Fataluku and Bahasa with English surtitles when required, making what is a rather obscure narrative easily navigable. To create theatre that is vulgar, ruthless, twisted yet heart-warming is feat in itself; hence Doku Rai should be on your festival to-do list.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Doku Rai (You, dead man, I don’t believe you)
The Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm, Liurai Fo’er and Galaxy
Produced by The Stealth Agency
Judith Wright Centre, Fortitude Valley
17-21 September
Brisbane Festival 2013
www.brisbanefestival.com.au
7 – 28 September
Photo: Sarah Walker
