Transfiguration | Hayman Theatre | Until 1 Feb 2019 | ★ ★ ½
Transfiguration written and directed by Kieran Trembath is a show about a person coming out as transgender to their friends and family, but it is so much more than that.
It is a play that touches on the issue of suicide, and it explores a universal experience of family that anyone can relate to. The play is a story about a trans-guy named Tyler coming out to his mother, father and sister, as well as his friends Mary and Oliver, and his boyfriend, Dean.
It explores Tyler’s personal feelings as he comes out to his family and friends, and it also looks at the positive and negative reactions that come from family and friends as they process Tyler’s coming out.
The play is a juxtaposition between Tyler’s internal voice, and scenes where Tyler is telling his family that he is coming out. After Tyler comes out to his family, it also follows the conversations and reactions that the parents have when Tyler is not there.
As I sat through the show, the sister character in the story reminded me of the qualities that my own brother has and even my Mum (who came to the show with me) could see herself as the angry mother character demanding that her child takes her feet of the coffee table.
Trembath shows promise in the way that he has staged the play. I especially liked the way the main character Tyler, was positioned to the side of the stage as a single light was focused on him, and the voice over represented his inner conflict between taking his own life or facing the repercussions that coming out has on his family.
The scene where Tyler takes of his shirt to show a sports bra, then later on when he takes off his shirt to show his binder, was a stroke of genius. The simple act of removing his shirt showed the progression in his journey and represents the pain that transgender people have to go through to align their physical features with their inner identity.
This play however was let down by the script, because it featured too many clichéd lines and the actors lacked the comedic timing to execute the jokes well enough to gain a laugh from the audience. Dean, the ex-boyfriend, Mary, the friend and the mother character, were static and lacked required emotion to convey convincing characters. Their performances were sadly disappointing, when I so desperately wanted to love this production.
On a positive note, Jasmine Valentini who played the central character Tyler gave a wonderful performance, and Daniel Suelto who played close friend Oliver had some stand out moments. Oliver reminded me of someone I knew who helped supported his boyfriend when he came out. So, if a character can make me feel like I knew him, I think that is a mark of a well-written character, and a talented actor.
Transfiguration is a play that has good intentions and it does serve its purpose to help its audience develop greater empathy for a person trying to come out. It is a play that moves the heart and it certainly did that, when it left a woman in the front row in tears. It is disappointing that the script and the acting has prevented this play from reaching its full potential.
Gautami Sithambaram – Community Contributor
Transfiguration is playing until 1st February, tickets available from Fringe World.
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 and www.beyondblue.org.au
QLife: 1800 184 527 and www.qlife.org.au
QLife are a counselling and referral service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.
