Break of Day review | Malthouse Theatre

Every night, Pam clocks on at the world’s largest online retail warehouse, packing parcels in a town where employment prospects are increasingly scarce. It’s a thankless, low-paying and dead-end job, but most residents in Burra Creek have no other option. In Steve Rodgers’ Break of Day, we follow Pam, her daughter Rae and others, as they fight to avoid becoming invisible in a place where they have been forgotten.

While Pam works away at the warehouse, Rae is desperately trying to complete a high school essay on Lolita. With no internet, a computer on its last legs, a boyfriend more focused on his own dreams and a drunk grandfather to contend with, completing her assignment feels almost impossible.

Desperate to provide Rae opportunities she never had, Pam is equally committed to carve out a future for her daughter. Their all-nighters unfold in parallel, revealing the ways a lack of opportunity shapes their experiences. Kat Stewart gives a weary determination to Pam, capturing both her exhaustion with the life she’s been given and her fierce desire to give Rae something better.

Exasperation builds as Pam attempts to hold everything together, as years of being overlooked and underpaid have left her with little patience for the systems that keep her there. Stewart does not let that irritation consume Pam’s warmth though, grounding her deep protectiveness of Rae in a tenderness that makes her desperation all the more affecting.

Sherry-Lee Watson brings a restless energy to Rae, conveying the impatience of a teenager who doesn’t fully understand why her mother is pushing her so hard to succeed. Rae knows she wants a future beyond Burra Creek, but the pressure to achieve the results that could get her there creates its own tension between them.

Woven through the stories of these two women are Rae’s boyfriend Jedediah (Theo Clarke), Pam’s alcoholic father Pop (Richard Piper), and Pam’s boss Sanjeeva (Chum Ehelepola). Each man brings a distinct dynamic to his relationship with the women. For Rae, Jedediah represents excitement and freedom, while Pop embodies the resentment and regret of a life that hasn’t gone to plan. Sanjeeva, meanwhile, offers Pam a glimpse of possibility, bringing comfort and optimism to her otherwise difficult world.

Rodgers’ writing balances the broader social realities of Burra Creek with the intimate hardships of its residents, never letting the play’s commentary overwhelm its figures. There’s humour alongside the frustrations, giving the locals of Burra Creek a humanity rather than reducing them to victims of their circumstances. It’s a thoughtful character study, with Rodgers focusing on the journeys and relationships of these people.

However, at 1 hour and 45 minutes, the narrative at times circles back on itself. Pam’s feeling of invisibility and Rae’s struggle to finish her essay are established early, but revisiting these with different characters or directly with the audience happen often enough that they start to lose their impact. The play has made its point, and these repeated beats could have been trimmed to give the story greater momentum.

Set and costume designer Anna Cordingley has constructed a circular, multi-level rotating stage, with one side representing the cold, factory where Pam works and the other the cramped one-bedroom home she shares with Rae. The locations are connected by a series of stairs, enabling swift transitions between the warehouse and home while creating laneways and side streets where scenes can occur outside.

The design of Pam’s home is less successful however, making moments in the tiny dwelling unnecessarily awkward. Removing the wall behind the couch could have created more room without compromising how small the house is. Adding a doorway to the bathroom would also have helped contain the drama set there, rather than having it spill directly into the living room.

Director Sarah Goodes takes full advantage of Cordingley’s set, allowing events to take place across its different levels and spaces. Performers move through the background while another scene plays out in the foreground, giving the production a sense of community that is constantly moving around its characters. Her direction brings out exceptional performances from the cast, making each character genuinely belong in this neighbourhood and ensuring their interactions and responses to what happens to them feel authentic.

Jethro Woodward’s rock-infused sound design seamlessly weaves the stories together, with recurring musical arrangements appearing in varied forms, sometimes played loudly and prominently, and at other times more subtly beneath the action. The recurring motifs create a connection between Pam and Rae’s separate worlds, reinforcing how closely they are intertwined.

Lighting designer Paul Jackson does an excellent job of using shadows and brighter light to mark the passage of time while reflecting the shifting emotions of Pam and Rae.

Break of Day is a compassionate portrait of people trying to build better lives in a place where opportunities are hard to find. While the repetition occasionally slows the pace, the strength of the performances and the production’s heart make it a resonant story about family, ambition and the urge to escape the circumstances that hold us back.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank
Season: until 29 Aug |  Mon 6:30pm, Tues - Sat 7:30pm

Duration: 105 mins
Tickets: $55 - $104
Bookings: Malthouse Theatre

Images credit: Pia Johnson