Reviewed by Joel Murray

I hardly knew what to expect when I went to see Dean Walsh’s Back From Front at Sydney’s CarriageWorks, but whatever I expected, my reaction to this performance was one of astonishment and amazement at the sheer level of artistry this production team employed to create something truly unique and unforgettably inspiring.

The venue, a rail construction yard now sparsely refurbished into a creative showcase venue, is a formidable space and immediately invokes a feeling of art rising from the rubble, where innovation surpasses budgets and expectation – where anything could be possible. And Back From Front didn’t disappoint.

The stage consists of five fridges at the perimeters of the stage (which serve as a place to retrieve props and also double amazingly as a kind of magician’s entrance and exit for the performers), and sandbags to mark the front of the stage, marking both the point that mustn’t be crossed by performer nor soldier for fear of excess of exposure.

One soldier drags on a full rubbish bag, another steps through one of the fridges adorning the set; another crippled, blinded and bandaged soldier sits on a large moveable chair; and another still stands invisible (hidden in clear view) at the back wall before he is finally revealed by a lighting change. The rubbish appears to move and roll of its own accord until another soldier still emerges from it to complete the five person ensemble. All this while images swirl and the soundtrack dips and swells to amazing effect. And so the production begins and continues to pull no punches in demonstrating how brilliantly multi-media can mix with live performance, how physicality can communicate and the hold audience’s attention.

Walsh’s attention to detail is admirable, as is his seeming ability to pull greatness from everyone who worked on this piece. The dance and movement pieces were polished and performed flawlessly by the cast, who move between performative styles with impressive ease. The soundtrack grooves between popular classics and a haunting, dirge-like hum. And special mention must be made of Ronaldo Ramos (Media Artist) and Simon Wise (Lighting & Software Design) who blend their skills to create special effects I thought only post-production filmmakers could achieve.

One of the best things about Back From Front is its unrelenting and unforgiving representation of the madness and chaos of war. At once it is confronting but addictive. It seems Walsh has attempted, and in my view succeeded, to portray the relentless and ruthless impact war has on its participants. A German nurse, now so desensitised by war, laughs at stories of her patient’s misfortunes. A crippled and blinded soldier explores the difficulty in learning to walk, talk and love again. An Officer, so used to demanding and ordering his soldiers like pawns, struggles with life at home with his partner; and one soldier encounters her childhood self only to see her run away from who she is now. This story pays homage to our veterans' struggles and their difficulty in rehabilitation. One soldier even uses a household clothes iron to blast gas at the unseen foe; such is the minimalist and effect imagery of the piece.

Effective though this relentlessness is, at ninety minutes this play does go a little long. The dirge-like soundtrack that proved so effective throughout the paly becomes overbearing and misguided, and after the sweeping of the stage at the end, we’re given a coda that seems unhelpful and pointless.

But these are such small complaints when taken in the context of the memorable experience this play provides. Back From Front is ultimately a theatrical masterstroke, using the very barest tools of performer, household props and surreal effects to create something powerful, engaging and above all entertaining. Back From Front plays 1-10 May 08 and should be seen by anyone who enjoys amazing theatre that defies boundaries.

Back From Front
Concept/Direction/Choreography: Dean Walsh in collaboration with Rowan Marchingo, Marnie Palomares, Elizabeth Ryan, Lizzie Thomson & Matt Young
Performance Space @ CarriageWorks, Sydney
1 - 10 May 2008