Call of the Malleefowl
Things we loved
- Brilliant and talented actors
- Incredible Autistic representation
Things we would reconsider
- Occasionally awkward dialogue
Call of the Malleefowl, presented by Bluestocking Theatre Co, is an incredible Adelaide-based true crime mystery, filled with talented actors, an emotional story, and interesting set design.
Writer and Director Charlie Kay has reflected her experiences as a Queer, Autistic woman onto the stage phenomenally. The play takes place over a single winter, and unravels the burgeoning relationship between Evelyn, a young woman on the Autism Spectrum, and Frankie, the enigmatic and beautiful woman in an abusive relationship.
The story is told through flashbacks to the park bench where the two characters meet, from a room inside a police station, as Evelyn is questioned on the events which lead to a murder. The set design and lighting choices embolden this shift through having the questioner, Dr. Fields, constantly on-stage taking notes, while Evelyn and Frankie’s past conversations occur on the forefront of the stage.
Both Millie Montgomery, who plays Evelyn, and Genevieve Venning, who plays Frankie, performed incredibly well, through developing their characters chemistry and young love, to awkward conversations, and emoting traumatic experiences. Allison Scharber, who plays Dr. Fields, and Robert Baulderstone, who plays Noah, Frankie’s boyfriend, also performed very well.
There were the occasional awkward pauses, or lack of pause for the audience’s reaction, between dialogue, but that had little impact on the overall enjoyment of the play.
This theatre production takes you on an emotional ride though a classic yet fresh tale about murder, young love, and bird watching. Though it isn’t for the whole family as it does contain some darker themes.