Adelaide Fringe 2013

Smashed

ThreeApplesHigh Theatre Co.

Genre: Mainstream Theatre

Venue: Higher Ground East (Art Base) – 188 Grenfell Street, Adelaide

Festival: Adelaide Fringe

Low Down

Review

Hazel and Ruby, emerge from an accident beaten and bruised to tell their story of friendship and solidarity through love and loss. They travel through time, re-enacting significant scenes that affected their lives—the heart-breaking revelation of Hazel’s mother’s terminal cancer, Hazel’s descent into the angst of adolescence, the idyllic summer spent sneaking into abandoned junk yards inhabited by zombies, and even a glance into their future as grown up career women.  

The script is quirky, thought-provoking, and humorous—the story tends to be obscure at times, and unnecessarily complicated when the plot jolts to scenes from the future; however, Mandalah Rose (Hazel) and Kate Englefield’s (Ruby) performances are captivating and the audience was entertained throughout. Their relationship as best friends was perfectly portrayed with Hazel’s headstrong and adventurous personality balancing Ruby’s naïve, bashful nature.  

Accompanied by a soundtrack filled with sound effects and an eclectic mix of well-known songs to set the scene the plot is made clear in the later scenes when the audience is taken back to the opening scene. There is a clearer understanding of what happened and the events that led to the emotional climax. The set, a cosy fusion of a teenage bedroom and junkyard in the Outback, is a neat metaphor for the vast space that encompasses complex emotions, and infinite possibilities when we believe anything is possible.  

Smashed is the journey of two best friends through time and space, the eighties, intoxicating dubstep and through childhood to save what is dear. Poignant, quirky, and filled with detours this play is entertaining and layered with emotion and philosophy. A fantastic display of local talent in an intimate venue that is sure to be a success!

Published March 1, 2013 by Prerna Ashok