SIX HOURS
Meteor Theatre, 1 Victoria Street, Hamilton
27/09/2012 - 29/09/2012
Production Details
Six Hours is one-act play about two best friends, one of whom just happens to be dead. It’s a depressing premise, but the play is anything but! It’s a slightly off-kilter look at life, love and jaguar taming, as the late Hannah comes back to visit her long time friend Drew – making life (and death!) harder as she does. Drew is the only one who can see her, and is the only one aware that she’s still lurking, as the rest of her friends try to move on with life.
Six visits, each one hour long. But why Drew? Six conversations gradually explain their story, their history, and above all, their friendship. A comedy/drama about life, love and loss.
Six Hours was shortlisted for the Playmarket ‘Playwrights B4 25’ award in 2011, when it was still an unfinished draft. Through workshopping and edits with the cast, it has been polished to its current state.
Six Hours
Meteor
September 27, 28 & 29th, at 8pm.
Tickets cost $10 ($8 students/unwaged).
Starring: Brendan West, Clare McDonald, Bronwyn Williams, Mike Taylor, and Jono Carter
Intriguing, funny, thought-provoking
Review by Julianne Boyle 28th Sep 2012
Hannah is dead. There will be no further opportunities for shopping at Glassons or indulging her penchant for ugly hats. All her friends are understandably devastated, especially Drew (Brendan West). The last thing he’s expecting is that she’s going to pop in for a short chat.
Six Hours, a one-act play written and directed by Louise Blackstock, puts a humorous spin on a tragic tale. It’s a gentle, bittersweet piece. The dialogue is realistic for the student setting and I have flashbacks to flats and parties from my own university days.
At such a young age, Hannah (Clare McDonald) isn’t exactly thrilled to be relegated to the ghostly dimension. Her career plans may be a little fuzzy but she’s still keen to give jaguar taming and “being a deliciously hot trophy wife” a go.
McDonald’s performance is engaging and sensitive. She’s adept at maintaining that delicate counterpoint of being funny while simultaneously conveying a sense of underlying loss.
While she may have this leave pass for six one hour visits to the person who needs it most, there’s a whole life that she’s going to miss. I love the idea of her being “for a limited time like a happy meal toy, only depressing.”
She is perfectly matched on stage by West’s Drew. He has great comic timing and his characterisation is totally believable. He makes palpable his character’s continuing struggles as he tries to come to terms with Hannah’s death, her spectral visitations and his own feelings of guilt regarding what happened at the beach.
The other characters (best friend, best friend’s boyfriend and Hannah’s boyfriend) ably support what is predominantly a theatrical two-hander.
It’s an intriguing premise, funny and thought-provoking. There are two more performances on 28 and 29 September. Give it a go and make The Flying Spaghetti Monster (mentioned in the show) happy.
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