As much as I enjoy attending the QPAC, it was a real treat getting to attend Queensland Theatre this evening. Sitting under the train lines in the semi-industrial end of South Bank, the theatre is surrounded by beautiful graffiti on the walls outside, and it makes me feel like I am part of something special as I sit inside the intimate theatre space.
Return to the Dirt is written by Steve Pirie who won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award in 2020-21, and who plays one of the leads in his own production that is directed by QT Artistic Director Lee Lewis.
Return to the Dirt introduces you to ‘Steve’, played by Mitchell Bourke, a struggling performance artist who finds himself back in his hometown of Toowoomba looking for a job to save enough money for his wedding. When he lands a job as a funeral director ‘Steve’ finds himself on a journey that will open his eyes to his inner demons and come face to face with some of life's biggest questions.
The show opens with ‘Steve’ sitting in a waiting room ready to be interviewed for a funeral director position when he suddenly stands up, breaking the fourth wall and introducing himself as our narrator, stating that the man sitting next to him is the younger (better looking) version of himself fifteen years ago. The way this introductory scene is pulled off gave me the impression that this play was going to be witty and a lot of fun, but I didn’t expect it to feature a downright hilarious and incredibly fast paced first half.
We are swiftly introduced to his co-worker ‘Deb', played by the scene stealing Jeanette Cronin. Jeanette has the crowd laughing from the moment she walks on stage and is unrelenting throughout the performance with her ocker inspired performance. ‘Deb’ takes young ‘Steve’ under her wing and they quickly develop a close relationship.
When we meet Steve’s fiancee ‘Claire’, played by Sophie Cox, we get to appreciate the change in set design. It is quite astonishing to see how the space can be transformed into a funeral home, living space or shopping centre. The first half introduces ‘Steve’ as a hard working yet sweet young man with a fiancée and a smile on his face just trying to do right by the people in his life, however, his inner world reveals a darker part of his character.
In the second half of the performance ‘Steve’ tells a story of a party involving Ernest Hemingway stuck in a drunken short story contest to write the saddest story in under ten words. Hemingway wins the contest in six words writing “For sale, baby’s shoes, never worn”. This quote brings us back into the play as we see young ‘Steve' becoming overwhelmed in a montage of child deaths and the harsh reality of his job as a funeral director.
The story begins to truly unravel for our protagonist as his mental health begins to deteriorate, and this in turn builds up to a climactic moment. It is in this moment that I realise the fun of the first half of the performance is well and truly over as the underlying themes begin to surface. The audience starts to learn more about Steve’s personal struggles with depression and self-harm.
‘Steve’ is confronted by death every day of his life. Our protagonist is faced with the challenge of balancing work, love, and his own mental health before he ends up in the dirt himself. Return to the Dirt is as much about death as it is about living in the moment.
From the playwright Steve Pirie, to the director Lee Lewis and the entire crew involved in this performance, it is safe to say you guys have knocked this one out of the park. I can honestly say you will be sore from all the laughing one minute to blubbering in tears the next. Return to the Dirt is confronting, daring and witty. Steve Pirie was shortlisted for the Queensland Premiers Drama Award for three plays including this one, so he is definitely someone to keep an eye out for and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Thomas Harrison