Presented by Guy Masterson’s Centre for International Theatre (C.I.T.)
@ Adelaide College of the Arts – Tiny Lounge
THURSDAY 1 March (until March 18)

Stepping into the world of The Boy James is a strange experience, to say the least. Describing it is somewhat difficult; the plot is far from straightforward, and the characters are more metaphors than actual people. The subject of having to say goodbye to one’s ‘inner child,’ however, is expressed all too clearly – sometimes painfully so – and provides a theme which ties the entire sixty-minute performance together.

The audience is greeted at the door by The Boy James (Jethro Compton) with a shy, Cockney-accented “It’s all right. Come on in.” The audience files into a nineteenth-century drawing-room, complete with piano, writing-desk and drapes hanging from the walls and ceiling. Armchairs and sofas line the sides of the room, and everyone is told to “sit just where you like.” So begins the interactive component of the evening, which includes making friends with the person next to you, an all-audience game of Wink Murder, and everyone putting their hands over their eyes, blowing a raspberry in the ear of the person on their left, and telling them to ‘pass it on.’

While this last activity is going on, the adult James (Dominic Allen) walks into the room, stares stonily around at everyone, and tells them that ‘none of you ought to be here’ before he walks out again. After this, the audience is treated to a lengthy monologue by The Boy James about all the adventures he and adult James have had with simply the power of their imaginations. Before long, however, the audience is also visited by The Girl (Serena Manteghi), a deceptively-innocent adolescent in a white nightgown, whose corrupting influence becomes immediately apparent as she tries to pressure the hopelessly chaste Boy James into drinking, vandalism, swearing and sex. At which point the show, needless to say, takes a decidedly darker turn.

The production is supposedly inspired by the life of Peter Pan author JM Barrie, although most people would never know it based on the performance alone. Parallels with Pan itself can be seen, however, with The Boy James as the titular character who never wants to grow up, and The Girl as some kind of warped Wendy who represents the darker side of adulthood. The lack of any positive personifications of adulthood to counterbalance The Girl could be seen as something of a bias in the show’s perspective on growing up.

There is certainly a lot to admire about individual components of the show, however. Compton displays remarkable control over his voice, movements and facial expressions, which exude childlike innocence to a T; his seamless performance is more than enough to carry the show. The set design displays extraordinary attention to detail; the room contains everything from a writing desk to a piano, with antique chandeliers inserted in the drapes on the ceiling. It’s rather like sitting in one large, elaborate, nineteenth-century bedsheet fort. This, of course, was probably the designer’s intention in the first place.

The real sticking-point is the script. If you’re not a fan of surrealist theatre, then odds are you’re probably going to struggle to keep up with the action. The general thrust of the play should be obvious enough for most people – man has an inner child, man struggles to deal with inner child as he grows up, man’s inner child is destroyed by the pressures of adulthood, et cetera. Some of the more technical aspects of the writing, however, may prove frustrating for people accustomed to a more traditional, succinct approach to storytelling. Characters which aren’t fleshed-out human beings as much as they are symbols of different facets of the human psyche; rambling monologues by The Boy James about various ‘adventures’ he’s been on; and a general lack of clarification about where, when, why and how any of this is happening are just some of the potential stumbling blocks for audience members.

That said, if you’re able to turn off the technical side of your brain, let the more enigmatic moments wash over you and simply immerse yourself in the show, then you may find an emotionally rewarding experience awaiting you. We all have to grow up sometime, but just for one night, The Boy James may make you wish you never had.