SET: The Play

Overview

SET: The Play, created and directed by Sam Atwell, is a tale of two halves. The first half tells the behind-the-scenes story of the fictional Australian soap Obsessions, which intertwines around its male lead Finlay Jones (Trent Baines); the second half is a whodunnit investigating his shock homicide. The play's success is also divided — with the second act easily surpassing the first in its achievements.

The play aims to satirise the glamorous world of television, and despite being well informed to do so — with almost all of the cast and production team having been involved with Home and Away at some point — it ironically manages to mock itself through an overuse of the style. The first act derides the 'sex sells' television mindset through a surfeit of sex jokes and suggestive acts, but the extent of the crudeness is so overwhelming that the actors seem too embarrassed to commit, making the audience feel uncomfortable. This works against the play when later attempts at audience inclusion falter due to the lingering unease. Ultimately, the play's endeavours to break down the fourth wall merely chip away at it, leaving rubble too dangerous for either actor or audience to approach.

However, the second act redeems the first act as a necessary prelude to the highly entertaining investigation that follows. The interrogations allow for compelling comedic injection from charismatic cops Detective Bryan Sizemore (Christian Willis) and Leanne 'Stumbles' Bridges (Alison McGirr), and with the crass removed, we experience the amusing exploration of characters that was demanded earlier. The murder mystery is masterful, with everyone having a motive, and you'll think you have it all figured out before being surprisingly informed you were entirely mistaken. For all the cliffhanger talk on stage, the conclusion doesn't demand tuning in for the next episode, but it is still neatly delivered by the audience favourite, Delilah 'Double D' DeRouge (Madeleine Chaplain), even if it does feel rushed.

SET: The Play's satirical swing at the world of television has the metaphorical batsman playing and missing, but it is nevertheless enjoyable, particularly when the charming detective duo and Delilah are involved. Whilst it will not create any 'obsessions' anytime soon, it still offers Sydney some theatrical fun worth sitting through the first act for.