Monday 14 October 2024

Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship) review (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Are there many of us who have maintained a friendship for over twenty years? Are there any of us who have held onto a best friend for over twenty years? In Liv Satchell's Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship) we follow two people from the age of 13 at a ballkids training session for the Australian Open and how this fateful encounter would change Holly and Sam's lives.



I've said it constantly over the years, and I will continue to say it: it is just a matter of time until big things come to Izabella Yena. An immensely charismatic performer who consistently gives herself over to her characters and she is all aces as Sam. What seems like a straightforward role, Yena turns into an extremely layered and sensitive portrayal. Similarly, Michelle McCowage shows growth and development as Holly and skilfully uses moments from Holly's past to shape the person on stage. The two together display wonderful rapport with each other and you can see how they have found a deep connection between these two characters and share it with everyone in the room.



Satchell has written a moving tale of friendship between Sam and Holly. While there are dramatic things that occur, such as bouts of depression and cancer, it never falls into melodrama and Satchell's focus remains on the friendship between these two people. Julian Dibley-Hall's direction gives plenty of room for the characters to breathe and move. He lets the silence fill the room, giving the audience the opportunity to make their own narrative and impressions of these people on stage. The application of sunscreen will never be looked at in the same way again by anyone who has attended this production.



The design team have also come together in thoughtful ways, including Filipe Filihia's stage design which gently allows us to remember how these two people met, and John Collopy's varied lighting design is a great contrast to the visual aesthetics and helps create the world around the two friends.



According to a report by the ABC earlier this year, 89% of a tennis game consists of dead time, which is time when tennis is not played. Fortunately, there is no dead time in this exploration of a twenty-year friendship. It's a delightfully endearing highlight reel on the connection that humans strive for, and need, to get through the chaos that gets served to us. It's a love letter to all our friends, those that have come and gone, and those that are still around. There are no faults or unforced errors in this surprisingly engrossing story.

Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship)
was performed 9 - 13 October as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image credit: Darren Gill

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