After delighting audiences at the Sydney Festival (2017) and gaining a 2018 National tour, Brisbane finally gets to see Katie Beckett’s first full-length play. Written as homage to her aboriginal father who raised her and her siblings alone after the death of their mother; Which Way Home explores the relationship between Father and daughter.
Partly autobiographical, the play opens with urban raised Tash (Katie Beckett) readying herself to pick up her elderly Dad (Kamahi Djordon King) for an epic road trip from Ipswich QLD to Goodooga NSW. Prompted by his failing health and a realization that time with him is limited, Tash has taken time off work to drive him to his beloved ancestral home in Muriwarri Country. With meal breaks and rest stops meticulously mapped and timed, Tash is trying desperately to maintain control over an uncontrollable situation, her father’s impending death.
Emily Barrie’s modest but easy-to-tour set design consists of a few cardboard boxes serving as the car, hilltops, seats, and even a makeshift toboggan. A suitcase, a bag of snacks, and a round biscuit tin are familiar road trip items. Upstage right a continuous stream of fine white sand cascading from the ceiling reminds us of how powerless we are to halt time’s relentless passage. Sound Designer, Mark Coles Smith has purposefully laid a light hand on this two-hander. Never jarring, the show is peppered with Australian bush soundscapes and several songs meaningful to both characters throughout their lives.
When we first meet the characters, TV Week loving Dad is infectiously laid-back taking every opportunity to get a rise or laugh out of his seemingly uptight daughter. Wearing a tragically funny wig, scoffing Fantales (though he shouldn’t with his diabetes) and asking when he’ll get grandkids from her quite new relationship, he manages to derail Tash’s façade. Originally performed by Tony Briggs, King has taken the over the challenging role, and his performance is understated and truthful. Beckett playing a version of herself in the present and at various earlier ages, acts with heart and soul.
During the 65-minute play, scattered vignettes enlighten us to their history. Transitions to various points in their past were highlighted exquisitely by Nik Pajanti’s lighting design. Dad wasn’t always relaxed, and Tash was not the rigid taskmaster we were now seeing. All relationships have a mythology and we understand how he became Tash’s Father, Mother, and best friend. Their banter is realistic. Dad calls Tash “bub”, asks if she’s hungry whenever he can’t handle anything too emotionally serious, and continually attempts to lighten the mood. Navigating single fatherhood with a six-year-old girl, after the sudden loss of his wife, would be daunting for any man. For a First Nation’s man under the lens of a mostly white community in the 90s, the pressure even harder.
Beckett’s script is a beautifully quiet, heartwarming, and humorous “gift of appreciation” to her real father. Impelled by a desire to represent First Nation characters as strong, positive, and joyful (rather than the usual gamut of victims or abusers) her universal theme of unconditional love will be appreciated by any audience. Which Way Home would have been spoiled by over direction, but Rachael Maza has recognised this and allowed the humour and emotion to breathe.
A perfect example of the old adage “write what you know”, Beckett’s 65-minute script should be re-written for film for all to enjoy.
Produced by ILBIJERRI Theatre Company
Written by Katie Beckett
Directed by Rachael Maza
8 - 11th August, 2018
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Review: Lisa Bingham