Barracking for the Umpire review: Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA production at Subiaco Arts Centre

Experiencing a loved one’s health deteriorate is one of the most difficult things in the world to face, let alone the turmoil of emotions experienced by said loved one themselves. Having a laugh can often be the best coping mechanism that pulls you through and Andrea Gibbs strikes this balance remarkably in her heartfelt and humorous play Barracking for the Umpire for Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA. In a production that brings footy back to Subiaco, Gibbs has written what she knows, inspired by her love of the game that stitches this country together but is also tearing lives apart for those suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy after repeated concussions. It is a subject currently hitting the sports news headlines on a weekly basis and one Gibbs has personal insight of through her own dad, Geoff, who was a Mighty Don and now experiences the repercussions of playing for Donnybrook in the 1960s and 1970s when safety protocols were non-existent. Audiences are welcomed into the theatre by the blare of a siren as music from Jimmy Barnes and Hunters and Collectors appropriately plays throughout the auditorium. Creative touches like these, along with the familiar 1980s-inspired lounge room set — that looks like it has been taken straight from either your own family home of that era or at least someone else’s that you knew — generate a comfort even before being welcomed into the Donnybrook house of Doug and Delveen Williams (played by husband and wife in real life, Steve Le Marquand and Pippa Grandison). The year is 2018 and Donnybrook Football Club is honouring Doug with a Lifetime Achievement Award, prompting his adult children home to celebrate the occasion while he grapples with the onset of confusion, forgetfulness, headaches and outbursts from years of repeated blows to the head resulting in traumatic brain injury. Doug’s daughter Charaine (Jo Morris) still lives nearby and has witnessed the unspoken changes in her father, while son Ben (Ian Wilkes) and youngest daughter Mena (Ebony McGuire) are flying in from the east coast oblivious to any health concerns. Ben is a current AFL player in the modern era of concussion protocols, still dealing with the stigmatism of a mentality by some, including teammate Eckhart (Joel Jackson), who reminisce about the days before the “changes that made everyone soft”, where head knocks were all just part of the game and “the stretcher was considered an insult”. The natural family dynamic on stage feels like a warm hug to watch, full of jibes, jest and love, true to the kind of relationships only possible between those who have grown up alongside each other. These connections are jarringly interspersed with the harsh reality Doug faces in his mind by visions of his coach — also played by Jackson, both roles a world away from how Black Swan audiences saw him earlier this year in The Glass Menagerie — who barks orders at him as if it was game day. Wonderfully directed by Clare Watson, the ensemble cast of seven, including Charaine’s ex-boyfriend Tom (Michael Abercromby) do a stellar job of bringing this highly entertaining yet heartbreaking story to life, with vivid imagery in its storytelling and an abundance of local Perth and Donnybrook references. It is a fast-paced, relatable production that resonates even if you do not worship Aussie Rules as a religion, and even more so if you do, with genuine laugh out loud moments throughout. And while song Torn plays out during the curtain call, highlighting the dilemma between our love of the game and player welfare, it is even more remarkable to think Barracking for the Umpire is Gibbs’ debut play. What a win and Perth audiences should get excited to see what she writes next. The verdict: Rating: 4.5 stars Where: Subiaco Arts Centre When: Until October 23