Luke Carroll as Sweet William. Photo: Heidrun Lohr
An Aboriginal family, weighed down by alcoholism and poverty, struggles to overcome these issues in spite of a racism that permeates all levels of the social and political hierarchy.The premise of The Cake Man is admirable in how it attempts to address a complex and relevant topic yet it unfortunately misses the mark.
It is not the production at fault. Performances were sufficient all round and production values were tastefully, if unimaginably, executed. The problem was that the script was not sufficiently engaging and rather than analyse, it merely parrots historical events thus resulting in a lot of talking where nothing apart from the obvious is being said.
As an audience, throughout the play I felt I was always two scenes ahead of the performers and waiting for them to catch up, such was the lack of tension and engagement. Sadly, instead of being thought provoking as I had hoped, this comes across as a superficial rendering of Australia’s past that fails to present new insight into either history or the personal Aboriginal experience.
The performers did as well as could be expected. Luke Carroll as Father Sweet William is likable presence; however, I wonder if this was the right casting choice – perhaps casting someone a little more brooding might have created a more dynamic character and made the journey of the drunk trying to make good more profound.
James Slee as son Pumpkinhead is charismatic and lovable as the child/man of the house, and Irma Woods as Mother Ruby plays the matriarchal role with a nice balance of nurturing strength. Energy and enthusiasm is not lacking in the cast – unfortunately, character development is. The characters verge on stereotypical – mischievous child, well meaning drunk father and loving mother. The consequence of this is that no matter how warm or likable the cast is, there is no emotional connection with the characters. The psychological shift one character undergoes, from racist to simpatico seemed inauthentic, which made me feel that racism was being oversimplified.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about The Cake Man is that it sets itself up to be a play with an agenda – but its unclear what that agenda is. The play concludes with a monologue about loss of identity and reclaiming culture, which is befuddling. It relies on the personal knowledge/experiences of the audience instead of showing those experiences in the play. Not that I believe every play must have meaning. I just think the ones that don’t should at least be entertaining. After all, you can’t walk out of a play the way you can walk out of a movie.
2 Stars
The Cake Man
Belvoir
By Robert J. Merritt Director Kyle J. Morrison
14 November – 8 December Downstairs Theatre
