Review by Michelle Sutton
Sunset Strip written by acclaimed playwright Suzie Miller is a classic Australian family drama. Presented at New Theatre and directed by Annette van Roden, it explores many heavy themes impacting everyday families including ageing, illness, grief and forever changing relationships. Sunset Strip captures a moment in time of a family that is trying to put pieces back together. The characters are trying to work out if people can really change and if life can still be wonderful even if it is not at all what you expect.
Sound designer Jay Murrin creates a lakeside soundscape with sounds of nature, dread and tension. Casey Moon-Watton’s dramatic lighting design enhances the intrigue and anticipation in the story. Annette van Roden doubles as director of the production as well as set designer. She has created a home that feels both comforting and haunting. There are records and decor full of nostalgia, as well as a sense of claustrophobia. She has brought to life the sense of loss of childlike naivety and the cruelty of time with a dilapidated lakeside scene with a boat and no water. There is nowhere for the family members to hide or pretend. Annette van Roden’s direction assists the domestic drama to build and build over the couple of days it takes place in.
The ensemble consists of four artists, Molly Haddon as the troubled Phoebe, Shane Davidson as her new love interest, Erica Nelson as the older sister Caroline who always has it together and Vincent Melton as their beloved ageing father. Davidson plays his role with a dynamism and spontaneity that makes the character feel tangible and real. Haddon plays younger sister Phoebe with a hopefulness and vulnerability, in contrast to Nelson’s stoic Caroline or “Caro”. Melton portrays the father of the family with a lot of heart. Everyone on stage tackles their lines with a commendable amount of gusto but the heavy-handed and clichè-laden dialogue ultimately falls a little flat.
It’s possible that comparing Sunset Strip to Miller’s other works is unfair as this was one of her earlier works, but considering the delicate handling of complex issues and masterful, thoughtful dialogue present in her later plays including Prima Facie and Jailbaby, it is hard to not feel underwhelmed by the writing in Sunset Strip. This play is ambitious but ends up not delivering on the emotional impact it seems to promise. Predictable plot points and repetitive monologues make the play drag in the second act and most disappointingly of all: it does not seem to have a point of view. Some characters are one-dimensional and feel like characters we have met many times before in Australian soap operas. There are some twinkling moments of charm involving two mice named Fanta and Coca-Cola which serve as small hints of the brilliance and originality Suzie Miller is capable of. Perhaps this play is best enjoyed as a precursor of what was to come, an opportunity to enjoy the beginnings of a truly singular and glorious talent in Australian theatre. Sunset Strip is playing at New Theatre until 3 August.
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