The Twins @ The Studio At Holden Street Theatres, Hindmarsh SA 6/3/2021
Friendship can be a challenging and complex creature, one that stands the test of time. Or doesn’t.
Presented by Shark Island Institute and The Arts Lab Kangaroo Valley, The Twins is the tale of two school friends who reunite forty years after starring as the twins in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Their intention is to reimagine the play and present it to new audiences. What results however is a day of reminiscence. A day of shared frankness, hilarity, and sorrow. A day of introspection and reflection.
Performed at Holden Street Theatre’s The Studio in a standard Black Box stage, The Twins are Greg Fleet and Ian Darling as Greg Fleet and Ian Darling. The ninety-minute play draws upon the tradition of cinema verité with an authentic narrative that opens a window into Fleet and Darling’s friendship while painting a vivid picture of their lives since high school.
Written by Sarah Butler, Fleet and Darling, the script draws upon a variety of typically Shakespearean themes such as love, defeat, anguish, remorse, and trust. Each is expressed with passion and candid honesty via numerous seemingly real and personal stories. Stories that even brought Fleet noticeably to tears at one stage.
Fleet and Darling do well to remain on stage for the full ninety minutes. Even with visible physical audience reactions from the front row, they unflinchingly remain in the moment.
Directors Terry Serio and Butler do allow for minor scene breaks to progress the narrative. Each pause is complemented by an all Australian soundtrack. And they effectively represent the passage of time without detracting from the overall vision of the performance. In fact, these breaks also serve as tension breakers from the, at times, uncomfortable reflections of the performers.
The Twins is not for the faint-hearted. While it is humorous and light-hearted, it is also a painfully genuine journey of two life-long friends who have been challenged by privilege and heroin addiction along the way.
Fringe Review By Anita Kertes
For show info and tickets to The Twins head to FringeTix