The day dogma came to town

Written by Krathyn White

The Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 2LOUD Push series is about as now as it gets, and the recent production of Push 10 – Kittenbone Bridge by budding Sydney playwright Nick Coyle was no exception to the rule.

With ten set production rules and a rehearsal cycle of only eight days, Coyle’s Kittenbone Bridge presented an ethereal, absurdist view of the world – a world set adrift from logic and reason.

A wicked scientist (Bruce Spence) and his unconscious daughter (Octavia Barron Martin) live alone on a jungle island. The Scientist goes about his experiments on their old broken-down gorilla (Tim Richards), until a handsome third year science student (Charlie Garber) arrives to assist the scientist in his work, and everything changes. He discovers that the Scientist is not experimenting for cures; quite the opposite, and the Daughter awakes and falls for him.

As the scientist delves deeper into the brain of the gorilla, his daughter and the science student secretly plan their escape, only to discover that the ghosts of dead lepers haunt the island, and that time, for all of them, is running out. Narrated by a dead sailor (Peter Barry), Kittenbone Bridge personifies all that’s interesting, vital and fresh about new theatre, and playwright Nick Coyle’s star only looks set to shine.

Nick Coyle’s next show called Simply Fancy is on at the Old Fitzroy, Woolloomooloo during November.