It’s quite opportune that in a time when Sydney’s median house price has breached the million-dollar mark, a play like Detroit is gracing the stage. Penned by American Lisa D’Amour in 2010, it’s a work riddled with social and financial complexities and set in what’s presumed to be Detroit, USA.
The play opens with two polar opposite couples settling in for a backyard barbecue. Mary and Ben are a well-to-do pair who own their home but are down on their luck following Ben’s redundancy as a bank loan officer. He’s hopeful, however, as he’s developing an online start-up to provide advice on overcoming debt.
The other couple, Sharon and Kenny, are in their late 20s (although they read more like teenagers). Fresh to the neighbourhood and living in Kenny’s uncle’s spare home, they’ve recently been released from rehab and are starting afresh. Neighbourhood hostility and judgement have plagued their past, but it’s the hospitality of Mary and Ben that now drives them toward friendship.
It’s as this friendship develops that the breakdown of relationships reveals itself. Mary abuses alcohol as she struggles with Ben’s financial situation. Sharon struggles to stay clean as a hostile neighbour taunts and accuses her. Kenny toils to maintain his blue-collar job and Ben, oddly enough, battles with his British alter ego.
This is not the only odd moment in Detroit. It’s been discussed elsewhere as being a cocktail of straight drama and goofball comedy – both of which play excellently in this rendition. While the themes ring deep on the back of four talented actors, certain events (e.g. a drunken backyard disco and a camping misadventure) result in more than one raised eyebrow and an uncomfortable chuckle, thus bringing some light and shade to the play and its characters.
While slow to start, the quality of the acting and the characterisation in general will have you warming to this production by the middle of the first act. It’s smart and unsettling, believable and insightful, crafted yet fluid. Take the plunge; delve into Detroit and witness the niggling nuances D’Amour has implemented amongst the farce as she explores the effects of socioeconomic differences on relationships and humanity.
4/5 stars
Detroit is playing at Eternity Playhouse until Sunday August 16.
