That optimism, however, was undercut by warning signs that were raised but not fully heeded. When the West Gate Bridge collapse occurred on 15 October 1970, killing 35 workers, the bridge’s meaning suddenly flipped. What had symbolised progress and ambition came to represent the human cost behind it, a reminder that rapid growth and grand vision can come at a devastating price.
Against that heavy backdrop, West Gate steps in not to retell the event as spectacle, but to humanise it. Under the direction of Iain Sinclair, Dennis McIntosh’s script zeroes in on the workers themselves, the personalities, tensions, and warnings that ripple below the surface long before disaster strikes.
Darcy Kent is excellent as Scrapper, a young English immigrant with more than a few rough edges to sand down. He has a restless energy that reveals layers of vulnerability beneath the bravado. Opposite him, Steve Bastoni brings warmth and steadiness to Victor, an Italian-Australian whose presence balances Scrapper’s edginess. Their relationship is allowed to breathe and unfold gradually, and it is through these quiet shifts that Sinclair delivers some of the strongest scenes.
Daniela Farinacci is magnetic as Frankie, Victor’s wife, but her role is frustratingly underwritten. With a performer of her calibre, you cannot help but want more. She offers depth and nuance to the material she is given, yet the script keeps her at arm’s length. Still, her evolving connection with Scrapper is a highlight, with added tenderness and complexity that should have been explored further.
The moment of collapse is where West Gate truly lands. Kelly Ryall’s sound design is intense and all-consuming, a relentless wall of noise that rattles through the theatre. As the venue plunges into darkness, it genuinely feels as though the bridge is giving way around us. Christina Smith’s set design amplifies this beautifully, with a concrete pylon falling towards the audience that unveils Frankie and Victor’s home, now encased in twisted metal and debris. It is a visually arresting sequence that instantly reframes the scale of the story from industrial to deeply personal.
But that is also where the show starts to lose its footing. Once the fall hits, McIntosh's narrative splinters, alternating between the human grief, the Royal Commission, and broader questions of union rights. In such a tight runtime, it is stretched too thin, skimming across ideas and conversations that each deserve far more space. There is a more focused, and ultimately more powerful, version of this story in honing in on one thread instead of trying to carry the full weight of history all at once.
In particular, there is a missed opportunity to thoroughly interrogate the historical ramifications of the tragedy. The fallout, what was learned, how responsibility was assigned and shirked, and what changed as a result, is touched on rather than comprehensively examined. Given the significance this played in shaping workplace safety and accountability in Australia, a sharper focus here could have grounded the show with greater clarity and impact.
West Gate captures the scale and intensity of the bridge collapse with a bold design and performances, making the danger and devastation palpable. The sound, set, and staging work together to place the audience in the midst of the disaster, with the personal connections anchoring the story in lived experience. Even with its structural unevenness, the production honours the magnitude of the event and the human cost behind Australia’s most infamous industrial tragedies.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank
Season: until 18 April | Mon - Tues 6:30pm, Wed - Sat 7:30pm, Sat 2pm
Duration:
105 minutes
Tickets: $67 - $74
Bookings: Melbourne Theatre Company
Images credit: Pia Johnson
No comments:
Post a Comment