The Housewarming → Famous Last Words Theatre
This housewarming is hosted by Phoebe and Nick (Virginia Blackwell and Daniel Fryar-Calabro), who have just moved into their first home. Phoebe invites old friends, Steph and Michael (Emilia Williams and Chris Gun) for drinks and cheese - as one innocently does, right? What quickly begins to unravel are suppressed feelings, insecurities and life-altering secrets that threaten old friendships and new relationships.
I love to see theatre companies experimenting with the arrangement of how audiences engage with shows. Here, the audience is seated on both sides of the set. It’s extremely intimate being this close to the actors, whilst also seeing the faces and reactions of our fellow audience members across from us. This was a clever choice because it placed us in the centre of the drama unfolding. The gradual reveal of secrets and information, had this show rife with dramatic irony - sometimes we knew what was coming, and other times we were just as shocked as the characters themselves.
The dynamic between these four, and the couples themselves was highly realistic, portraying the common late-twenties archetypes you probably already know. Phoebe and Steph, having grown up together in a small town, end up on completely different life paths. Phoebe is now dating Nick, the classic Eastern Suburbs, could’ve-been-a-footy-player-but-did-his-ACL-type male. And Steph, remains in a sharehouse with Michael, who works packing beers with a “useless” arts degree in his back pocket.
The piece opens with Blackwell, excitedly filming house updates for social media. Blackwell gives an incredibly raw and masterful performance for a character with so many layers. Initially we like Phoebe, then as the drama unfolds, we are constantly placed between feeling sympathy and apathy for her. Watson’s construction of the show to have it conclude full circle, with Blackwell alone again attempting to film what should be a happy announcement, allowed the show’s themes of regret and irreversibility to really strike.
Arguably with the most heart-wrenching plot line, is Steph, performed by Williams. Her dynamic with Blackwell begins civil, before turning icy as their vastly different life paths are exposed. Despite growing up in the same town, Watson uses these characters to ask, can friendship still survive a class divide? Williams captures Steph’s vulnerability in a highly emotive performance, you can't help but feel for her.
The boyfriends, Nick and Michael are used to starkly contrast Australia’s wealth gap. There are numerous heated moments between them. In their arguments, the shots that are fired at each other are clever digs at our societal structure today. As Michael, Gun is frustrated at the system and at himself, taking it out on those around him. Whereas Nick, performed by Fryar-Calabro, presents with a slight arrogance having been born into wealth, and self-assurance because he, unlike the others, has actually ‘worked hard.’ The classic ‘stop buying smashed avo’ as the answer to everyone’s housing affordability, was thrown in too. Their opposing dynamic was highly tense, yet also highlighted that perhaps on the inside, they were not so different. Both men give deeply impactful performances, sitting so close, you couldn’t help but brace for their next move.
Even in the intimate setting, it was great to see some variance and dynamism with the blocking and lighting choices (Steven Durey). In some instances, our heads ping-ponged from left to right as the actors were spotlighted during poignant conversations, or we looked the other way to brace for the reaction coming.
The Housewarming is strikingly relevant, speaking to a generation currently navigating the uneasy space between life’s aspirations and one’s authenticity. The play exposes these anxieties within an all-too-familiar social ritual, allowing them to unfold with uncomfortable clarity. I encourage you to experience this work yourselves because it's not often that you get thrown into a wine and cheese night as tense as this!
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