The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race

The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race follows five women and the drama that surrounds the annual potato race, a longstanding tradition where the men and women of the town race with a sack of potatoes on their back. The men’s bags are 50kg and the women’s are 20kg. The men’s prize money is $1000 and the women’s is $200. Herein lies the locus for the play’s tensions.

Penny Anderson (Sharon Millerchip) is a GP and has moved back to Appleton, where she was born. She won’t have it that the women earn a fraction of the prize money. Nikki Armstrong (Amber McMahon) is her cousin, and they basically grew up together. Nikki is the go-get-’em, leopard-tights-wearing, rural single mother that slogs her guts out with a bark and sense of humour. She wins the race each year and doesn’t give a toss that the prize money is so little. Rania Hamid (Sapidah Kian) is a refugee from Aleppo, Syria. Nikki befriended her. She has a daughter in the town who is struggling to fit in. Bev Armstrong (Valerie Bader) is the no-nonsense matriarch. She looks after her vegetative husband, Kev, and keeps the race’s cogs turning, despite the mass of men pissing their pensions away on the pokies and drink. Barb Ling (Merridy Eastman) is the earnest and compliant star of the show. She wears yellow and pink pastel and has the air of someone who’s said “sugar” instead of “shit” their whole lives. When she’s stressed, her strategy is to imagine that she’s on Australian Story.

Each character is at once relatable, refreshing, political, and personal. Here, the credit must go to playwright Melanie Tait. The maturity of the drama is in its measure, with Priscilla Jackman’s direction complementing Tait’s writing. Nobody need die, nor high tragedy to occur to tease out themes around interpersonal relationships and gripes, and politics of intersectional feminism. Tait shows how impactful theatre that works in understatement can be – she finds the global in the tender, dusty local.

Each actor shines in their role. Where Eastman’s quiet mousiness kept us low, Amber McMahon’s comedic grunt picked us up. Where Valerie Bader’s weight gave us pause, Sapidah Kian’s keen realness primed us for the next moment. Sharon Millerchip’s sincerity echoed in the conviction of every actor and their character. 

The Ensemble Theatre has done a great thing, too, with a team of 15 women and one man. More, more, more of this please Sydney theatre companies. A special mention has to go to Genevieve Graham’s costume design. Bev’s denim and trainers were a visual touchstone and Nikki’s outfits were a treat every scene: leopard print for days, a garish belt, and pink and gold T-shirt. 

The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race is a must-see. There are no downsides to this polished, measured, and punchy work that says so much with such style.