Rising Water
On the 17th of August, the year 11 literature class ventured out to the Melbourne Arts Centre to watch Tim Winton's first play "Rising Water". Set in a Fremantle marina, the play exposer the lives of three Australians who have their quiet marina lives turned upside down by a drunken British backpacker on Australia day. The audience is forced to sit still and listen as the characters bicker and retell the stories of their past. The slow nature of marina life is reflected in the play, causing the occasional snore to come from the back row of the theatre.
The set is one of the most interesting parts of this play. The three life-size boats docked at the jetty and floating on a shimmering blue floor attract the eye and the imagination, even if the storyline does not. We follow Baxter as he tries to avoid awkwardness and life in general. He was once a school principal who found himself the target of wild accusations involving a young girl. Now living alone on the marina, he once again finds his hands full with a young backpacker who makes herself comfortable on his boat. Meanwhile, neighbors Cole and Jackie continue ton live their uneventful lives. Jackie, a lesbian alcoholic in rehab plays a minor role in the plot line and could have been missed. Cole, an ex accountant, lives his simple life, lacking direction and remaining forever where he is.
Overall the play explored the simple lives of an Australian on the marina, however the entire play lacked direction, much like the characters, and the lack of excitement in the plot was much better suited to the elderly citizens in the theatre than the class of teenage girls.
