The Song Was Wrong

by

(4 stars)

Review by Laura Money

Walking into the beautiful and intimate set in the Studio Underground at the State Theatre Centre WA one is immediately drawn into the personal, comforting and dishevelled world of Christian – the pianist with a passion for life and light. He sits there staring back at the audience in the dark as the seats fill.

The Song Was Wrong is Melissa Cantwell’s masterpiece. As Artistic Director of the Perth Theatre Company she dons the hat of writer and director to produce a play that is unique, heartfelt and wonderful. It straddles the space between the independent theatre of the Blue Room and the big budget productions of the Black Swan Theatre Company.

The play tells the story of a great love between two artists, their initial infatuation and epic romance and their eventual dramatic break-up. It tells of the loss one feels when dealing with the grief of abandonment using blindness as a beautiful metaphor.

Cantwell has teamed up with an impressive bunch of talented people including up and coming Perth actor Jacinta Larcombe whose portrayal of the optimistic and deeply happy florist is enhanced by her emotional and graceful interpretive dance performances. The costumes were designed by Aurelio Costarella and Fleur Kingsland and are absolutely stunning. Fusing the metallic aesthetic of robotic coldness with the soft floral canopy of nature the costuming is just as important as the characters.

Witty, irreverent and optimistic at the start, and deeply melancholic, symbolic and visual at the end, The Song Was Wrong will keep you entertained throughout.

Perth Theatre Company’s The Song Was Wrong is on at the State Theatre Centre WA until Saturday 20th June.