Presented by Blank Slate Productions in association with New Theatre. Written by Willy Russell. Directed by Johann Walraven.
Stags & Hens is a dynamic dark comedy exploring relationships, love, adulthood, and complacency
Reviewed by Alexandro Gould-Arocha
New Theatre, Newtown
Until 25th January, 2024
Tickets: https://newtheatre.org.au/stags-hens/
Type: Dark Comedy, Ensemble Work, Independent
If You Liked: In The Club, Dancin’ Thru the Dark (1990)
Willy Russell’s Stags & Hens is an energetic dark-comedy examining the lives of British working-class life in the 70s. In Blank Slate Productions’ revival, Russell’s work becomes a dynamic and exciting staging of the almost 50-year-old play.
The play opens with Linda’s hen’s night party entering a trashy disco’s bathrooms to chat. Unbeknownst to them, Linda’s future husband is celebrating his stag’s night party at the same club. The next hour explores their relationships and their plans for the night ahead. After the interval, the play begins to explore complex ideas of confronting adulthood, complacency, misogyny after an unfortunate discovery.
Stags & Hens features an ensemble comprised of Ellen Peebles, Maddy Zinner, Grace Easterby, Ava McClean, Kirra Jones, Ben Itaba, Chester Lenihan, Jonah Elias, Hunter Taylor, Cameron Sutton, and Jonathan Serafino. Together, they create an authentic portrayal of working-class 70’s life with an undeniable energy and engaging physicality.
Directed by Johann Walraven, this production reels its audiences in with its comedy before exploring deeper themes. The first act transports us into a recognisable world and establishes the story through its fast-paced dialogue and excellent comedic timing. The second act quickly becomes captivating theatricality as the characters’ values and emotions clash.
The play at its core grapples with complacency, intricately examining the dynamics between the ones that stay in relationships and the ones that leave. But was it ever really a choice? The most confronting character, Eddie (Sutton), is a misogynistic bully who resents the ones that stay. One of the most compelling performances was by McClean, the soon-to-be bride. Whilst the world around her seeks to put her in a box, she maintains her agency with a powerful grit. These characters are multifaceted and every single performer shines on stage.
Stags & Hens evokes a sense of nostalgia for some audiences, whilst introducing a new world for others. Specifically in Act 2, there are moments where some audience members are more engaged with the comedy whilst others are engaged with the drama of the piece. It was quite interesting to see how both the characters and audiences reacted. As with most plays, as time goes on they can become at risk of amplifying out-dated viewpoints but with the protagonist making a defiant choice, it feels relevant to our current society.
…enjoyable and funny, yet thought-provoking
The production design was well-considered and transported me to the 70s with its colourful and vibrant design. Benjamin Itaba’s set design and Mehran Mortezaei’s lighting design work in tandem to depict the grungy interior of the British disco club. Tacky posters line the back of the stage, whilst poorly painted-over graffiti decorate the club’s bathrooms where most of the play’s action takes place. The stage is split down the middle, with the ladies bathroom on the right, and the gentlemen’s bathroom on the left. Both feature a sofa, sink, and stall. Under Walraven’s direction, the sound and costumes further immerse us into this seemingly familiar world. As the play was mostly confined to bathrooms, the activation of space added complexity as the play went on. However, as those spaces were quite far back, it was occasionally difficult to engage with the high points of drama.
Overall, the production was quite enjoyable and funny, yet thought-provoking through its insight into our relationships, adulthood, and the pitfalls of working-class life.
Theatre Thought: Did Stags & Hens’ comedy convey its important themes, or did it weaken them?
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Johann Walraven
Set Designer Benjamin Itaba
Lighting Designer Mehran Mortezaei
Dialect Coach Jonathan Mill
Stage Manager/Operator Ricci Costa
CAST
Grace Easterby, Jonah Elias, Benjamin Itaba, Kirra Jones, Chester Lenihan, Jonathan Serafino
Ellen Peebles, Ava McClean, Cameron Sutton, Hunter Taylor, Madeleine Zinner
