Review By Kate Gaul
US writer Brian Watkins’ play “Weather Girl “is set in a wildfire-ravaged central California. The story follows Stacey (Julia McDermott), a bright and bubbly weather presenter who is a hot mess; literally and metaphorically. She is barely holding it together. Working for a local news network she’s using her weather girl stint as a stepping stone to something greater if it ever comes. Jerry, the new editor, insists that she make the endless hot days sound great to her viewers. As wildfires take hold of the landscape and grow ever more intense and deadly, he insists Stacey not tell the viewers to evacuate lest they be upset. People, families begin to die. Stacey basically hates everything that she does and is becoming unhinged. She is perpetually drinking Prosecco from an innocent looking plastic drink cup and is generally feeling overwhelmed and strung out from the moment she wakes at 4am. She dates a random Techbro whose name she never catches and ends up crashing his car, recklessly abandoning him at the scene.
Then there is her mother - a homeless woman she has had little to do with – but is now drawn to after discovering they may have shared mystical powers. And can they save California? The mother daughter part of the story isn’t particularly well developed. It serves to provide Stacey with the chance to look at what is behind the pretence and surface of her world. Our world. It’s ugly. But it connects Stacey to a bigger truth and the plays dramatizes the importance of individuals and our collective society to tackle climate change as one. The play does rather underline this theme - and I guess it is a theme worth underlining - but it’s a turn off when you feel a playwright doesn’t trust you to “get it”.
This is a handsome fringe production. The set and lighting design are beautiful creating a TV Studio as well as other locations: an array of microphones, dark sound panels, and portable lights. The actor playing Stacey is amplified via a body mic and there are the other microphones, also practical. Some are at heights and Stacey reaches up to speak into some – making her slightly off kilter, reminding us that Stacey loves to perform, and that news is filtered – we hardly ever get the “facts”. The production is pacy and often funny. It is often strident. But then again – urgent themes – as we are kept reminded! As a cautionary tale about our degrading climate, I wasn’t so keen on this play. But its wit and as a vehicle for the right actor it is a smart piece of work. (and Julia McDemott is terrific in it).
“Weather Girl” is proving to be a festival darling and will no doubt have a much larger run elsewhere.
