Shrine - Darlington Theatre Players

Reviewed by Jordan D'Arcy

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Shrine is a play written by Tim Winton and set somewhere on the south coast of Western Australia. Although the play itself is Australian, and very much has a distinct Australian vibe, the story is not unique to Australia. Shrine follows the story of the lives of loved ones after a tragedy. 

This production is heavy, there is no other word for it. Right from the beginning, from the beautiful acknowledgment of country and opening sentiment, which stated very real facts about the death tolls on WA roads, to the original song written by Chris McRae. This production takes itself seriously in a good way. 

Those who have seen other shows directed by Chris McRae will recognise the style. There are some beautiful tableaus, and the storytelling is very clear. Gary Wetherilt’s set exactly what you’d expect the interior of a WA beach house to look like – in fact, so much so that it reminded me very much of my own grandparents’ Esperance property. 

The cast worked excellently together as an ensemble. Gavin Crane and Anna Head were a good juxtaposition, playing the grieving parents of Jack. Tom Rankin as Jack and Madelaine Page as June were appropriately awkward as unlikely sweethearts. Geordie Bartle and Jack Buckmaster as Jack’s friends, Will and Ben, respectively, were excellent and genuinely made me uncomfortable with their characterisation of the delinquent teenagers. 

Lighting by Devlin Turblin was well thought out and really clearly assisted in the storytelling, especially as this particular script is very much set out like a contemporary WACE monologue and jumps around a lot. 

Shrine is excellent and deserves a much bigger audience than there was on opening night. It is definitely a lot to take in, the content can be very difficult to swallow at times, but it has been handled with grace and respect, and the cast and crew should be immensely proud of themselves.

Image credit: Sean Breadsell

Reviewer Note: Jordan has worked with a number of members of this cast and crew previously. Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company.