As the audience convenes, a lost looking fellow clad in the distinctive old kiwi beige & brown hauls his chillybin through the audience calling out for someone  called ‘Don’.  If you’ve ever been to a live cricket match you’ll recognise the image.  You’ll also recognise the beer cans strewn through the stands/auditorium which, if you feel like further augmenting the nostalgic impression, you may be compelled to chuck down at the yobbos tossing about on the grassy knoll on stage, once they’ve located each other. 

The whole atmospheric effect is only slightly marred by the temperature in the theatre being somewhat less than that of your average summery cricket weather … although the setting is the Basin Reserve in Wellington, as depicted unmistakably by Caitlin Le Harivel’s set design: the high brown wooden outer fence upstage with a suggestion of a Pohutukawa drawn on it, the twee inner white picket fence and in between a curved mound of turf upon and around which the two actors are centred.

The respective uniforms may seem anachronistic, given that in 1981 cricket players wore whites for one day matches as well as tests, whilst the present day teams wear entirely different colours to the classic Kiwi browns and Aussie yellow and green.  Not to mention this play is set on the first day of a test match anyway, but it’s easy enough to believe the lads are dressing retro in the cultural spirit of the game.  In any case, for most contemporaries of the golden years of New Zealand one day cricket it’s the clearest image we can relate to.

The analogy between the characters and the countries is clear: Don (Alan Brunton), the abrasive, egotistical, irreverent Aussie against Col (Chris Brougham) the serious, nervous, sensitive younger kiwi brother.  Col’s chilly-bin contents include a mono cassette player, an inflatable kiwi and a Martinborough merlot.   Don’s four times larger ‘esky’ contains several slabs of beer and an inflatable kangaroo.  And his suitcase (fresh off the plane) contains the various props required in the role-plays that follow.

Justin Gregory and David Geary’s script is loaded throughout with classic snide invective cutting both ways; Don’s typically crass and merciless, Col’s more self-conscious and tactical.  The performance seems pitched lower (or should that be bowled shorter?) than usual, which I found unnerving at first.  However the impression of distance is largely due to the heckling, can hurling crowd and ultimately increases the sense of authenticity. 

It also increases the feeling that we’re watching the modern day equivalent to a Punch and Judy show.  Don doesn’t seem particularly phased by the fact that the vocal audience sides by and large with Col.  It’s a therapeutic opportunity for us to vent our grievance directly to the caricatures of those responsible, and I’m lead to wonder how well Col might cope before an Australian audience, given how sensitive he is and how much more vocal they would probably be.

The overall theatrical balance is well maintained, as at first we witness two brothers meeting for the first time in years at a test match.  As their debate on the subject of sportsmanship and the legacy of that fateful hot February 1st at the MCG in 1981 ensues, the audience are invited to be jury at the kangaroo-court trial of the accused, Greg Chappell.  Then the brothers call themselves to testify as various players, umpires and board officials, using vocal characterisations and rudimentary props such as gaffer tape for facial hair. 

MINOR SPOILER
Then the whole play comes full circle as we learn that the boys were not only present at the match in question, but that it was the final catalyst for the breakup of their parents’ tenuous marriage.  One took Aussie Dad’s side, the other took Kiwi Mum’s, and the rest is history.
SPOILER ENDS

The Underarm is more than merely a cricket-based Foreskin’s Lament.  For one thing it’s the first play I’ve seen where someone wins a meat pack (for naming a particular prominent Australian player of the time), plus many cans of the sponsors’ branded beer awarded for similar correctly answered related trivia questions.  What we have here is a wholly entertaining and thought provoking interactive dramatised socio-political study, with some Punch and Judy for flavour.

As for the verdict on the controversial issue under the microscope here, I’ll leave that for other jurors to debate.  Suffice to say there are compelling arguments on both sides regarding the moral worth of Chappell’s fateful decision.  The factor I find most fascinating is the tragically overshadowed stellar performance of Kiwi batsman Bruce Edgar, not out for 102 having batted for the entire 50 over innings, although it was Brian McKechnie who actually faced the fatal final bowl on his first ball.  I dedicate this review to Bruce and Brian.

And for lovers of historical artefacts, the actual ball played in the actual match is mounted and on display on the bar of the not un-sports club like foyer of the Hawkins Theatre.

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