Brisbane Powerhouse and Brisbane Festival 2009 present the world premiere of a play by Nick Earls, The True Story of Butterfish.
It tells the story of Curtis Holland, a burnt out rock star in his mid 30s. When his career with the band Butterfish bombs, Curtis leaves his life of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, buys a house online in the suburb of Kenmore and returns to Brisbane to find his father in a coma. When his father dies within a week of his return, Curtis begins a period of internal reflection about his life as a rock star, his fleeting marriage (after a ceremony in Nevada between a sound check and a gig), the reason why he didn’t want to know the truth about his father’s illness when the band was a success and what he now wants from life. Curtis starts writing in his home studio for the Splades, a Norwegian band ready to break out of Scandinavia and also works on a song of his own. He attempts to reconnect with his gay brother, Patrick, who resents Curtis’ absence for the past 2 years whilst their father has been unwell. Curtis spends time with his neighbours - recently divorced, Kate, and her two teenage children, Annaliese and Mark. Although they are an unremarkable family, Curtis could watch them all day. Then, fellow Butterfish band member, Derek, flies in from LA. He is dealing with his own family tragedy – his father has a tumour. When Curtis insists that Derek maintain sobriety under his roof, home truths are unravelled and resentments surface.
This is Nick Earls’ first attempt at play writing. Unlike earlier Nick Earls’ novels which have been adapted for the stage by other writers and produced in more intimate theatres, the script and venue here lack the key ingredients for a successful play. Nick Earls has written the play as though writing for the screen – there is little dramatic tension in the script. The expanse of the Powerhouse stage, the void to the ceiling and the minimalistic set in the first scenes may have been intended as a metaphor for the emptiness in Curtis’ life when he returns to Brisbane. But it results in the actors’ voices not reaching the depths of the theatre and the actors being too distant to engage the audience.
The cast includes well known TV personalities, Myles Pollard, Nathaniel Dean and Caroline Brazier. Nathaniel Dean successfully creates two contrasting characters in Butterfish member, Derek, and Curtis’ gay brother, Patrick. Caroline Brazier delivers some comic moments as Kate as do Penny Harpham as Annaliese and Jason McLaren as Mark. I would have liked to see more of a transition in the character of Curtis, from fallen rock star to suburban recluse attempting to discover want he wants from life to a man with insight into his past, present and future. Curtis is an emotionally detached character but Myles Pollard’s portrayal of Curtis is internalised to the point where audiences cannot connect with him.
The stage Manager (Kylie Mitchell) and Assistant Stage Manager (Cassie Field) faced a difficult task dealing with a script with frequent scene changes. The actors move sizable furnishings on and off stage in darkness but nothing additional is communicated to the audience during the scene changes. Ultimately, the activity between scenes is a distraction. The fact that furnishings can be seen in the wings in dim lighting also distracts from the on stage action.
The music by Adele Pickvance (Music Director / Songwriter) and Robert Forster (Songwriter) was the best part of the play. Two songs were written specifically for the play – “The Light that Guides You Home” (Music by Adele Pickvance / Words by Nick Earls) and “It’s Not What You Think” (Written by Robert Foster).
The city of Brisbane appears as a character in its own right with photographs of suburbia appearing on the brick wall at the rear of the Powerhouse Theatre.
The play will appeal to the youth of Brisbane who yearn for adventure overseas and home life in Brisbane. Nick Earls’ name as a Brisbane novelist and the TV known cast may encourage new audiences to the theatre but I suspect seasoned theatre goers will be disappointed by this play.
The True Story of Butterfish is showing at the Powerhouse until 25 October 2009.
Playwright: Nick Earls
Director: Andrew Ross
Cast: Myles Pollard, Nathaniel Dean, Caroline Brazier, Penny Harpham and Jason McLaren
Music: Adele Pickvance and Robert Forster
Image provided courtesy of Brisbane Powerhouse
Image Credit: Joanne Bell
