Flame Trees

Local and heartfelt, Flame Trees speaks to the heart of a revisited past. As a young woman Tess was imprisoned for arson and alienated from her hometown. The play begins with Tess centrestage, looking around, feeling out that place she hasn't been for six years. The townspeople are hostile: Tess is immediately accused of shoplifting and informally interrogated. Past relations varyingly hate and reluctantly love her. Questions are immediately raised. Will she be run out of town? What does she want? Who can the audience trust?

Wayne Tunks' script is an interesting and demanding exploration of love and of dealing with past ghosts. It bucks trends of the genre and keeps the audience engaged, but the production has its flaws. Isabel Dickson (Tess) ran too far with the old adage "less is more"; her performance, though overall sound, didn't meet the stakes. Jace Pickard, who plays Tess' old lover, took up far too much of the stage. His voice, deep and interesting at first, ended up being nothing but throat for the two-hour performance. 'Purpose' is a word that was lost on the young actor. Having said this, Rebecca Clay gives the most real performance of the lot. She has the most extensive stage experience of the cast and is a cornerstone of the performance. Tunks' emotive outbursts raised the usually fairly moderate stakes. Great credit must be given for his portrayal of such a difficult role: Tess' intellectually disabled brother Nathan.

Flame Trees is a compelling script, and a worthwhile addition to Australia's theatre scene. This production, though, suffers from its execution.