Asia TOPA festival
La Mama – Courthouse theatre
February 23 – March 5 2017
Sandra Thibodeaux’s directorial decision to set The Age of Bones under the sea plays with a literal interpretation of Australia as “down under.” In an underwater court, fifteen-year-old Ikan’s two-year wrongful incarceration is the centre of this satirical exploration of Australian border policy and the true plights of Indonesian teenagers jailed in Australia.
Deri Efwanto is charismatic and endearing as our narrator, the Old Man, telling the story of Ikan’s upended fishing journey and his subsequent incarceration. The story opens with a visually rich introduction; with a projected visual aid and explicitly narrated “once upon a time,” the Old Man’s introduction sets the tone as a light-hearted children’s tale.
This tonal juxtaposition against the urgency and despair of Ikan’s entrapment enhances the separation between the story and the narrator, and in turn between Ikan and the audience. With this emotional distance, it becomes difficult for the audience to become emotionally invested in Ikan’s individual journey, however this emphasises the social commentary of the performance in comparison.
The Old Man’s own storyline as an ageing seafarer unfortunately lacks depth, serving the primary purpose of providing comic relief. Although it does this well, the relationship between the old man and his young puppeteer friend Dalang (Mohammad Gandi Maulana) provides multiple opportunities for further exploration that could push this show beyond an emotionally-distanced allegory to something more accessible.
Ella Watson-Russell’s performance as the Australian lawyer defending Ikan unfortunately falls short due to another weak storyline. Although briefly hinting at a backstory and possible motive, the lawyer’s story remains unresolved.
The farcical, two-dimensional scuba divers are another weak point. The repetition of their heavily Australian-accented “aw yeah, nah,” while funny at first, quickly becomes irksome.
In contrast, Kadek Hobman as Ikan’s stereotypical rough Australian cellmate manages to play with classic Australian tropes without being contrived. Hobman’s effortless performance and comic timing is a show highlight.
Technical flaws occasionally disrupt the flow of the performance. During scenes with Indonesian dialogue, English subtitles are projected on the ship’s sail; delays between subtitles and speech stilt the performance for non-Indonesian speaking audience members. Minor technical issues aside, the technical aspects of the projected media are predominantly well-handled and the use of film complements the performance’s aesthetic and tone.
Attractively simple, Barber’s minimalistic set design is also cleverly versatile. A set of boxes and sails are moved around throughout the performance to become the Old Man’s sailing ship, his projection screen, Ikan’s cell and the underwater court. The set’s simplicity allows Made Gunanta and Wayan Sira’s intricate puppets to shine; cast as shadows on the sheet sail, the aesthetic of the puppets reiterates the fable-style feel of this narrated performance.
