Susie Dee and Angus Cerini play mother and son in Wretch.
FILMS and television shows where the characters are unlikeable, cruel and foul, and the themes grim, are nothing new.
But on stage, that sort of live theatre is not only a challenge for the actors, it’s a challenge for the audience.
Wretch is one of those plays.
It is the result of an intense period of research by actor Angus Cerini where he worked in a juvenile justice facility on the Risky Business arts project.
And, while it could be a risky business also for Regional Arts Victoria, it’s a risk organisers and Yarra Ranges Cultural Services are excited to have the opportunity to take. Wretch won Cerini the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award in 2007.
Centred around a jail visit between mother Susie Dee and son Cerini it premiered at Melbourne’s La Mama theatre last year, shocking audiences with its unflinching portrayal of the relationship between mother and son.
Cerini said his experience as part of the Risky Business project was astonishing.
“It gave me a window into the lives of people that I had only ever seen reported in the newspapers.”
RAV spokesman David Baker described Dee’s performance as chilling as she transforms herself into a ghoulish character “whose relationship with her son shatters every ethical code”.
The roles are extreme and demand trust and Dee said the relationship which produces such creative chemistry on stage is based on mutual respect.
“The characters are often so cruel and foul to each other. We can do this because, ultimately, Angus and I trust each other,” she said.
Cerini said he hopes the play will prompt regional audiences, in particular young men, to question their understanding of social justice and the influence of their family and peers.
Humour plays a part in what is a confronting theme – and Cerini has a word for his audiences which may help when it comes to those moments in the play.
“I also hope they understand that it has some really, really wrong jokes in it, and they are allowed to laugh.”
Wretch is on at Upper Yarra Arts Centre at Warburton on Wednesday 25 August at 7pm.
Phone 5966 4500 to book.
