Category: The Year of Magical Thinking

At The Old Fitzroy Theatre in a local pub, a Co-op production of a one man show called THE PACKER written by Dianna Fuemana. This work has a long performance history and the actor JAY RYAN has been associated with it since its workshopping in New Zealand in 2003. He has performed it in New Zealand, The Edinburgh Festival and recently in Melbourne. This is clear in the performing. Jay Ryan impersonates 8 different characters over the course of the work (approximately 60 minutes with a 20 minute interval). There is a deft physical skill and embedded ownership in the…

This is a wonderful piece of writing and Robyn Nevin was wonderfully vulnerable in this one person piece. I saw this early in the run (twice) and felt that I had never seen Ms Nevin so delicate and fragile with her usual strengths of cool intelligence and insight. Sensitively supported by Cate Blanchett with a provocative Set Design by Alice Babidge beautifully lit by Nick Schlieper and an abrasive but mostly apt Sound Design. Stimulating.