review: the local

Tonight I went to see the fringe show "The Local."  Aside from it not being particularly local for me and getting slightly lost at a very fast run on the way, it was really quite impressive.

As you may recall, the last two shows I've seen of late have been very fringe-y fringe shows.  This one was much more mainstream and you could certainly envision it on a bigger stage.  It centered around two brothers who are locals at their local Sydney pub and the various characters they meet as it gentrifies.

It was very well cast and well acted -- I think the part that stood out the most was just how real it felt.  The brothers felt like locals, not actors.  Everything from speech to costuming to movement oozed what certainly appeared to be a lifetime of experience in pubs.

If I were going to change something, I think I'd rework the script a bit.  On a beat-by-beat level it was great and intelligent, but I think I'd revamp the character of the boys' sister, a completely crazy Scientologist who ultimately blows the place up, killing one brother and herself, along with countless others.  It was just a little too dramatic to fit in with the rest of the otherwise very genuine content.  Also, sometimes the brothers were given dialogue that seemed a little far-fetched (read:  brainy) for their characters to me, though ultimately what I wanted was more of the script.  I'd have liked it to have stretched into two acts (with an intermission) -- or possibly a short series in some capacity.  It had the feel of a sitcom in that there were clearly main protagonists, but also side characters you kept meeting and wanted to get to know better over a longer period of time as well.

All in all, it was a fantastic play and I highly recommend it.  Oh, and cool perk:  the crew offers to meet the audience afterwards at their local pub.  I wasn't able to go, but it sounded fun.  Maybe you can run along for me tomorrow night!