“Between Two Waves” at the Stables Theatre

After one of the worst floods Sydney has ever to deal with, our main character, Daniel (Ian Meadows), has to confront his own catastrophe: Ten years of research saved on his computer as well as his back up copies drowned in the water and are possibly lost forever.

Daniel is highly qualified in his field as a climatologist and even becomes an advisor to the government. But his self consciousness and neurosis make him struggle not only in front of the TV cameras but also in real life. So he rather prefers to watch the weather channel on his own instead of going out with his only real friend and boss, Jimmy (Chum Ehelepola).

Only when energetic and fearless Fiona (Ash Ricardo) enters his life does he start to open himself slowly. Even though she is the total opposite of him they become a couple. Everything goes fairly well until Fiona finds out that she is pregnant. Throw in global warming with his negative outlook and David does not want to leave his children in this uncertain world. Will he be able to overcome his fears?

While the play deals with the complicated relationship of Daniel and Fiona, it also involves the global warming and its outcomes. It makes us think about Daniel’s opinion and whether he might be right. Luckily the play does not overplay this topic as there is so already much talk about it in daily life. Ian Meadows, author of the play as well as performing in the role of Daniel, created the right balance between everyday problems and a serious topic with Between Two Waves.

Apart from that the piece shows us to what extreme pressure in job and private life can lead to for mentally unstable persons as Daniel. The only help he receives comes from a stranger (Rachel Gordon), the woman writing the report on the damage caused by the flood while his own girlfriend, who should be the one to support him, totally fails in this role. In doing so the audience cannot be sure if she lacks in recognizing or if it is just pure ignorance.

What makes watching this play enjoyable is the strong performances of the actors. Even when switching roles they totally adapt to their new character however some of the roles are a little exaggerated as is often done in theatre.

However the play operates on different time levels. This leads to some confusion in the beginning as these shift into each other smoothly. There are also some dream fragments that Daniel is recalling and sharing with the audience broken up in several scenes during the play. Not until the very end does everything falls into place. As the final scene completes the first scene, both showing Daniel narrating his dream, the piece is perfectly framed .

The props are limited to a minimum making  the audience concentrate on the really important things. Still they are chosen very carefully and always perfectly indicate in which situation or place the actors are. A very authentic atmosphere is also created by the water flooding the stage at one point of time. It certainly makes the event almost tangible.

Between Two Waves is a very successful piece with amazing actors, showing a lot of different emotions and features of their characters. Even if the dominating themes are serious, the behavior of the exaggerated figures can make you laugh in some situations. Let the play overwhelm you and take you away – just as a wave.

Review by Hannah Vogel

Information:

SBW Stables Theatre

10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross

Bookings

Over the phone: 02 9361 3817

Or on The official website of Griffin Theatre

49$ for adults

36$ for seniors, concessions, previews, matinees, groups

30$ for under 30 years old

15$ rush tickets available every Monday evening supported by Foxtel

(Transaction fees of 2.50$ for online bookings and 4$ for phone bookings apply.)

Previews

5th to 9th of October

Season:

12th – 17th of October

Monday to Friday 7pm, Saturday 2pm