Readers should be aware that the following review contains references to child sexual abuse.
Blackbird, by the appropriately named David Harrower, is tough going. Dealing with child sexual abuse, it poses extremely uncomfortable questions about the type of man who perpetrates such a crime.
Are their desires somehow innate? Are they perhaps deserving of pity? What kind of man would sexually abuse an underage girl?
Which is exactly what 55-year-old Ray (Phil McGrath) did.
Una (Charlotte De Wit) was just 12 years old when Ray pursued his sickening, short-lived ‘relationship’ with her.
We meet them years later, when Una, now aged 27, tracks Ray down to his workplace. Ray, who has changed his name to Peter after completing a lengthy prison sentence, is horrified at this development. And more horrifying for him still, Una wants to have it out with him.
She wants to understand Ray’s motivations. She wants to make sure he knows just how much his monstrous actions cost her. She wants – it seems – revenge.
Of course, Ray doesn’t want a bar of it. He believes his stint in jail – where he was shunned, attacked, pelted with human faeces – means he’s paid his price.
He claims he never had an attraction to children. He tells her she was ‘special’, a ‘one-off’. He asserts that he’s a changed man, that he’s moved on. He insists she should too.
He orders her to leave. Only she won’t. And so unfolds HER Productions’ take on what The New York Times has called “an immensely powerful work”.
It is difficult to overstate this. As the dreadful impact on Una becomes clearer and clearer, the play is devastating to watch.
There is much here about the privilege of men. The way it is entrenched in the very fabric of society. At one point, recalling the trial, Una quotes the male judge, who said the 12-year-old had “suspiciously adult yearnings”.
The message is clear. A girl, even an innocent child, is up against the system when a man is involved.
This is the second time this reviewer has seen this play. The first time was the staging by Four Shadows Productions last September at the Wentworth Falls School of Arts in the Blue Mountains.
HER Productions has also staged Blackbird before, putting it on in Newcastle (where the production company is based) last June.
While the company’s current production is laudable, it doesn’t quite measure up to last year’s tour de force by Four Shadows in the Blue Mountains.
This version has some issues with pace. There were times when the action could have taken a beat, but just kept ploughing on, robbing some moments of their tension and power.
At times, the play felt a tad rushed. Admittedly, in an extremely wordy play that’s so driven by dialogue, pace is a balancing act.
The big reveal at the end, though, was mishandled.
It is not possible to go into specifics without revealing major spoilers – but the shocking development at the end drew gasps at last year’s Four Shadows production. In this version, it didn’t. It was slightly ambiguous, when it should have been truly shocking.
Still, the source material here (the actual play written by Harrower) is as brilliant as ever, with the cutting dialogue drawing winces and occasional shocked laugher from the audience.
The acting is strong, wjth De Wit and McGrath displaying range and nuance in their roles. Blackbird would be a two-hander but for the brief appearance of a child at the end. Lilly Kime, in her brief role as the child, was capable – although the role isn’t big enough for an actor to display their true abilities. It would be interesting to see her in a larger role, in another production.
Read: Performance review: Elements of Freestyle, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
This staging of Blackbird is recommended for anyone seeking an intense and provocative theatrical experience.
Blackbird by David Harrower
KXT on Broadway, Ultimo NSW
Presented by HER Productions in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Co, Charlotte De Wit and Marigold Pazar
Director: Pippa Thoroughgood with Charlotte De Wit and Phil McGrath
Lighting Designer: Anwyn Brook-Evans
Stage Manager: Jess Dalton
Assistant Stage Manager: Bronte Carrigan
Lighting Designer: Anwyn Brook-Evans
Cast: Charlotte De Wit, Phil McGrath, Lilly Kime
Tickets: $35 to $50
Blackbird will be performed until 5 July 2025.
