Presented by Adelaide Duende Collective
@ Bakehouse Theatre – Studio
SATURDAY 10 March (final performance of ‘Six Dollar Solitude’; ‘Truth Teller’ & ‘Germany Diary’ until March 17)

Press-Play! is the title given to three different plays presented by the Adelaide Duende Collective in the Bakehouse Theatre’s Studio over two weeks. The first week saw Renee Gentle present a solo performance entitled ‘Six Dollar Solitude’. Two plays, ‘Truth Teller’ and ‘Germany Diary’, take the stage during Press-Play!’s second week.

My timing was a bit off in going to review Press-Play! I had realised that there were a number of different plays being performed under this title but had not checked the schedule properly until a few days before I was due to go see the show. As such, I found myself seeing the final performance of ‘Six Dollar Solitude’, which is a shame because I’m hoping this review will make a few people want to go see it.

The premise of Press-Play! is simple: if you could go back and re-live your past, would you play it the same? In ‘Six Dollar Solitude’ we are introduced to the character of Alexandra, a young woman who buys a bike, gets on and keeps riding north. In her conversation with her bike, lovingly named Gus, Alex talks about her desire to get away from Adelaide and ends up deciding to ride her way to Alice Springs. During the course of this ride Alex encounters a number of different characters, all of whom are played with panache by Renee Gentle.

Gentle is a remarkable performer. The first character she steps into is that of a guy working at a bicycle store. The physicality Gentle uses to portray this character is amazing. Although the deep voice she puts on is still decidedly feminine, the delivery of the lines is completely masculine, the laughs and casually tossed out lines giving a solid impression of a certain male stereotype. The body language Gentle uses – her stance, the way she grips the bike and talks to the unseen customer – combined with the innuendo apparent in the script complete this picture of masculinity and provide some of the funniest moments in the show. Gentle moves on to the role of Alexandra, the main character of the show and the customer who the bicycle salesman was talking to in the play’s first moments. This is the character who takes us through the entire show, although others continue to come in at various points: Alex’s parents, the husband she is separated from, people she meets on her way to Alice Springs and a ditzy friend. Some of the characterisations are weaker than others. Stuart, the soon to be ex-husband, is a rather one-dimensional character, but it appears this is the fault of the script more than Gentle’s performance. It’s a wonder to see how quickly Gentle is capable of switching characters and embodying them so completely.

The stage is set up simply with a bike, a phone and a few black boxes, allowing Gentle’s performance to be the focus of the play. The lighting and music are similarly simple but effective. Lights are dimmed when Gentle changes characters, helping the audience to differentiate between them easily. Ting Yun’s original compositions play throughout the play from start to finish. While these are beautiful and usually not too distracting, there are moments when the music feels too obvious. For example, whenever Gentle’s Stuart appears the music seems to grow particularly ominous and almost reminiscent of crime shows. Apart from that, the show seems to be put together seamlessly.

Its script remains the only aspect that left me wanting more. The play starts well peppered with jokes, funny characters and relatable moments. However, its conclusion left me dissatisfied. It seemed to me that despite the physical and emotional journey the character made, not enough really happened. That said, in twenty-five minutes that is quite to be expected and it didn’t make the duration of the performance unpleasant, it just left me a little frustrated at the end.

Gentle’s performance alone made Press-Play!’s ‘Six Dollar Solitude’ worth watching. If the Adelaide Duende Collective have succeeded in getting people equally as talented involved in their other shows then they’ll definitely be worth seeing.