Samson - Belvoir

Overview

Belvoir’s Samson could well be the Aussie youth theatre classic of its generation. It offers what Away and Blackrock gave us in the '80s and '90s: an unedited, unglamorous perspective on our society, through the eyes of its teenagers.

In this production, it’s Julia-Rose Lewis’s writing that really shines. She conjures four teenagers to the stage: Essie, Beth, Sid and Rabbit. Each is trying to draw some meaning from life in their sleepy hometown. They try to find love, forge identities and deal with the tragic death of their friend.

The script is massively endearing, self-assured and honest. Watching it (and other members of the audience) will divide you into one of two groups. The first roll their eyes, and shut their ears to “another teen story”, while the second remember the teenage trials they too experienced and (barely) survived. The second realise you can never be too old, nor too sophisticated for some straight-up wisdom.

The diverse ensemble who give life to Essie, Beth, Sid and Rabbit are Ashleigh Cummings (from Puberty Blues), Belinda Jombwe, Charles Wu and Benjamin Creek, respectively. Creek’s Rabbit, in particular, is a joy to watch. Creek is truly comfortable in his body; unrestrained, impulsive and fresh. His dialogue seems to pour forth from a very truthful place. Perhaps he’s sharing glimpses of his own family and story, or some of his dreams that may have been called “small” by others. His performance had me spellbound, and I hope to see him much more in the theatre.

Cummings, Jombwe and Wu convey the warring gentleness and abrasiveness of their characters but could afford to take more time to explore the grief monologues for their dead friend. All four of the ‘kids’ invite us into their self-invented entertainment, as if we too have adopted their repeated command, “Share?”. So the goon drinking, shirtless sunbaking, ciggies and swearing are best enjoyed without judgement.

Beth, Essie, Sid and Rabbit have all inherited religious pressure from either their family or the values of the town. Yet Samson taps into the teenage experience of all Aussie kids – city or country. The themes span time and place: untimely death, teen escapism, experimentation with drugs and heady, hormonal love. The setting for this Everyteen story is an undulating stage the colour and texture of sand or dust. Its formlessness allows an audience to inscribe their own ‘hometown’ onto it, but the cast could reveal — in their movement between scenes — even more of the places they are seeing. It would heighten the effect of a a lovely script that has the ability to access a deep place in each viewer’s memory.