Occasional Combustible Disaster is a wonderfully ambitious debut work from talented emerging playwright Daniel Cottier, that at times tried to do too much but always never fails to entertain with its daring themes and intriguing subterfuge.
Freddy is on the cusp of their 18th birthday, to their Dad they will become a man, to their Mum they will abandon her and to their sibling, they will finally get out of the house and have an adventure. But to Freddy, their 18th birthday means finally opening up and letting go of a long held crippling secret.
Cottier has managed to cram every dysfunctional family cliche, including the kitchen sink (quite literally), into this work but cleverly uses cliche to bait-and-switch the core narrative and reveal a surprisingly multi-layered story hidden in plain sight.
The work is let down however in the transition from page to stage, with director Benjamin Brockman infuriatingly dragging out the pacing of scenes, which causes poignant moments to loose all gravitas and become lacklustre family squabbles.
There is however, a stunning display of creativity and talent in the many ways Brockman weaves the work throughout the space and breaks with convention to infuse the work with playful whimsy.
Nicholas Cradock, Nyx Calder, Richard Hillar and Hester Van Der Vyver form the family unit and from the onset there is a real cohesive openness and unity to the ensemble but sadly, questionable character motivation and poor directorial intention leaves many on stage two dimensional archetypes.
Cradock excels as Freddy, holding the work together with a vulnerable tour de force performance. Hillar and Van Der Vyver play parents on the verge of a breakdown with Hillar bouncing rather clunky between defiant ally and cliche hyper masculine father and Van Der Vyver struggling in their portrayal of a character that feels beyond their abilities. Calder rounds out the cast with some much needed comic relief but all too often they are relegated to a talking head that lectures for the audiences benefit than engaging in naturalistic conversations.
The design team bring an astonishing wealth of talent to the work and create a world far beyond the limitations of the space. Brockman’s lighting design is nothing short of exquisite, with thoughtful touches of storytelling and emotional shifts that encapsulate a sensory delight.
Likewise Beau Esposito’s sound design perfectly captures an insidious otherness lurking just under the surface of this suburban world. Paris Bell and Rita Naidu’s respective set and costume designs provide the work a much needed dose of grounding reality without compromising their talent and dramaturgical eye.
Occasional Combustible Disaster is brimming with potential from a must watch playwright on the rise – audiences can only hope for more very deserved return seasons.
Occasional Combustible Disaster
The Loading Dock Theatre – Qtopia Sydney, 301 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst
Performance: Friday 2 August 2024 (preview)
Season continues to 10 August 2024
Bookings: www.humanitix.com
For more information, visit: www.danielcottier.com.au for details.
Image: Nicholas Cradock and Nyx Calder in Occasional Combustible Disaster – photo by Phil Erbacher
Review: Gavin Roach