The Kings Collective’s Gruesome Playground Injuries showcases the ability of young Australian artists to take extraordinary contemporary writing to the stage. Gruesome Playground Injuries is minimalistic production that trusts talented performers to be the essence of the piece.

Rajiv Joseph tells the bittersweet tale of childhood best friends Doug and Kayleen who share their deepest physical and emotional scars over 30 years. The non-chronological two-hander vignettes highlight the most significant highs and lows of youth, friendship and the loss felt at the absence of a dear companion; a moving script with moments of hilarity and sorrow, realized in a short, poignant production.

Aaron Glenane (Doug) and Megan McGlinchey (Kayleen) illuminate the complexities of their roles as children, teenagers and adults. Their synchronicity is convincing as they jump from intense anger to cosy intimacy from scene to scene. With a minefield of subtext expected in interchanges between childhood best friends, Glenane and McGlinchey have mastered every detail, compelling the audience to feel the weight and power of nostalgia felt at the missed opportunities, regrets and unrealised potential we face throughout our lives.

Director Anthony Gooley is to be commended for harvesting the production within the sparse, tight-knit TAP Gallery Downstairs Theatre. He has produced an accurate interpretation of Joseph’s script and Glenane and McGlinchey perfectly complement each other to capture the nuances of their characters at his direction. Gooley has demonstrated a fine sense of innovation and resourcefulness through the clever execution of transitions. This execution was complemented by choice music in partnership with sound designers David Stalley, David Couri and Philip Orr. Lighting designer Toby Knyvett masterfully induces atmospheric moods to boost the deep-rooted undercurrents of passion without overpowering the element of performance. The impeccable detail of each costume over the 30-year time span enriched the authenticity of the whole performance, at the credit of Tyler Hawkins.

The Kings Collective has demonstrated remarkable talent and ingenuity through their exploration of youth. Gruesome Playground Injuries is a timely piece that encapsulates human vulnerability as we journey through life with our scars.

Reviewed by Anne Lau