Silent murder hard to watch
Lynn Freeman
The December Brother, directed by Tim Spite, Downstage Theatre, reviewed by Lynn Freeman
A SeeYd production is always an event.
For more than 10 years the company has held true to its belief that theatre should be meaningful and provocative, and that it should take time to be created and harvest the ideas of the cast and crew. The December Brother has all the SeeYd hallmarks, and something more – a deeply personal true life story, that of Tim Spite’s father seeking his birth family.
There are three threads to this play – the Spite family story (non-fiction), two near silent reenactments of the Bain family murders (fiction-non-fiction), and a totally fictional story that weaves together elements of the first two acts.
They all involve an exploration of the meaning of truth. Spite’s father delayed searching for his birth family because in part at least he feared what the truth might reveal. The Bain case exemplifies how there can be two compelling versions of one event based on the evidence presented in court.
The three acts make for an emotional evening, on stage and in the auditorium. Spite’s portrayal of his father is moving and respectful without being cloying. The mimed Bain sequences, with a brilliant use of sound effects, are hard to watch, especially the way young Steven Bain fought for his life – and here I should say that I covered the original trial in Dunedin.
These are two hard acts to follow for the third sequence of the play. Here we meet a young woman who seeks her birth family. It’s such a lottery. There is always the risk of rejection. Here though it’s even more complicated. She learns that her birth family is deeply dysfunctional, with her half-brother accused of killing their mother and her husband.
While it’s cleverly conceived and performed, it lacks the punch of the other two and a little suffers for it. That doesn’t detract from the excellence of the performances by Spite, Nikki McDonnell, Brad McCormick and Hadleigh Walker. As always with SeeYd, ensemble acting at its best.
Jennifer Lal lights the set, with its patchwork of carpets and spaces, to perfection.
A SeeYd production is always an event.
For more than 10 years the company has held true to its belief that theatre should be meaningful and provocative, and that it should take time to be created and harvest the ideas of the cast and crew. The December Brother has all the SeeYd hallmarks, and something more – a deeply personal true life story, that of Tim Spite’s father seeking his birth family.
There are three threads to this play – the Spite family story (non-fiction), two near silent reenactments of the Bain family murders (fiction-non-fiction), and a totally fictional story that weaves together elements of the first two acts.
They all involve an exploration of the meaning of truth. Spite’s father delayed searching for his birth family because in part at least he feared what the truth might reveal. The Bain case exemplifies how there can be two compelling versions of one event based on the evidence presented in court.
The three acts make for an emotional evening, on stage and in the auditorium. Spite’s portrayal of his father is moving and respectful without being cloying. The mimed Bain sequences, with a brilliant use of sound effects, are hard to watch, especially the way young Steven Bain fought for his life – and here I should say that I covered the original trial in Dunedin.
These are two hard acts to follow for the third sequence of the play. Here we meet a young woman who seeks her birth family. It’s such a lottery. There is always the risk of rejection. Here though it’s even more complicated. She learns that her birth family is deeply dysfunctional, with her half-brother accused of killing their mother and her husband.
While it’s cleverly conceived and performed, it lacks the punch of the other two and a little suffers for it. That doesn’t detract from the excellence of the performances by Spite, Nikki McDonnell, Brad McCormick and Hadleigh Walker. As always with SeeYd, ensemble acting at its best.
Jennifer Lal lights the set, with its patchwork of carpets and spaces, to perfection.
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