The Love List - Kalamunda Dramatic Society

Reviewed by Kate O'Sullivan

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There’s a genuine charm to Kalamunda Dramatic Society’s production of The Love List. It’s the kind of easy, enjoyable community theatre night where the audience settles in quickly and happily goes along for the ride.

The set is simple but works well for the story being told, creating a believable living room space without overcomplicating things. One particularly nice touch was the use of props to help show the passage of time between Act 1 and Act 2, which helped keep the story moving clearly. The production’s overall time period felt a little hard to pin down at times, and while the lighting did its job, a few more shifts in tone or colour to reflect different times of day could have added a bit more atmosphere. Likewise, more practical lighting or different lighting states would help sell moments where characters are visibly switching lights on and off.

Costumes were mostly strong and suited the characters well. A couple of scene changes felt slightly slow due to the need to change costumes, though that’s the sort of thing that often tightens naturally once a show settles into its run. It would have been nice to get a clearer sense of the show’s era through the costume styling. It's also important to consider the fabrics of costumes under lights.

The performances are where the production really finds its footing. John Pomfret gives Bill a strong emotional journey, making the character’s shifts feel grounded and believable throughout the play. There were a few moments where lines seemed to go astray, but the cast recovered well and kept the show moving naturally.

Jarrod Buttery’s Leon brings plenty of comic timing and works well alongside Pomfret, creating an easy friendship dynamic between the two men. While Leon occasionally felt emotionally one-note during some of the bigger relationship conversations, the humour landed consistently with the audience.

Belle Toy clearly has fun with the role of Justine, and her ability to handle the script’s quick switches in tone keeps scenes lively. A little more connection and chemistry between Justine and Bill would help some of their scenes feel less hesitant, but there’s still plenty of entertainment in watching the characters bounce off each other.

Overall, The Love List is a warm, funny production with a lot of heart. It’s exactly the sort of show community theatre audiences enjoy supporting.

Rehearsal Image provided by KADS

Reviewer Note: Kate has previously worked with the director and one of the cast members in this production. Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company.