Review - X-Stacy: entertaining and challenging

Above; From left: Alison Telfer McDonald as Anne, Ruby Sanders as Stacy, Connor Hawkins as Ben and Ebony Hamacek as Jenna.

X-Stacy

By Margery Forde

Directed by Elodie Boal

Moreton Bay Theatre Company

Neverland Theatre

5A 4-6 Burke Crescent,

North Lakes

Qld

Season: May 24 – June 2. Bookings: www.trybooking.com

Wow! An interesting and intriguing concept of life is explored in this play, which was first performed in 1998, as it explores how we find ecstasy in life.

Here the choices covered the range from the Church through music and the Rave scene to taking ecstasy pills. Ben is drawn by the power of the beat which is pushed to the limit by his friend rave DJ Fergus who is a rising star.

For Zoe, an aspiring DJ, music is the drug but that is not enough for everyone. Thus when Stacy, Ben’s sister, goes to a rave dance, what can possibly happen. Mother of the pair is isolated and seeks solace in the Church.

Director, Elodie Boal, very successfully presented the audience with an absorbing night at the theatre where we were both entertained and challenged. The stage gave space for the hyper- active dancing to the pounding music of the rave scenes through the quietness of the home to the peace of the church. On top of that, she chose her cast well.

Connor Hawkins, as Ben, was central to this success and he was forceful, but at times, sensitively emotional. A little more subtlety at times would have added even more depth. Katie Clarke played Zoe, the aspiring D J, with the finesse the role demanded. Also outstanding was Alison Telfer – McDonald as the mother, Anne. This may have been because that character was so different from the younger members around her, except for Paul, the priest. Ruby Sanders as Stacy, Arun Clarke as Fergus, Ebony Hamacek as Jenna and Trent Sellars as Paul completed the cast very well.

The only fault to me was the occasional lack of clarity, particularly from the priest.

For me to go from wanting to sing along and join the dancing to sadness and sorrow in the next moment means this production really succeeded in so many ways.

X-Stacy is a play that tested the director, cast, crew and the company as a whole. Well done to you all.