★★★
This long-titled play from Finegan Kruckemeyer is a light-hearted and meandering journey through love and time.
Presented by Griffin Independent, the Sydney production follows two seasons at Western Australia’s Blue Room Theatre and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. The play sweeps through a spectrum of different lives, gently prying open the alternatives bubbling underneath apparent realities.
A single rotating structure stands in the middle of the stage, forming a circular window from one side and a porthole from the other. Performers Jo Morris, Ben Mortley and Renee Newman string five storylines across time and space, some of which converge. We see a Parisian flirtation with a watchmaker, a pair of repressed lesbians on a Soviet submarine packed with nuclear warheads, a couple of hillbilly American youngsters staking out a rabbit hunt in the snow, a lonely monologue of unrequited love, and a disastrous first date. The latter vignette is probably the most effective, and the funniest.
American, Russian and French accents are deployed as the actors weave between tales. Sometimes the accompanying accents work, as with the pair of amateur American hunters. But sometimes they feel strained and clichéd, as with the Russian naval officers who find themselves on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.
There are some satisfying moments of poignancy toward the end, but a number of stray plotlines leave a little wanting – it is as if the material has been spread too thinly. Consequently, many of the chapters take shape as geohistorical archetypes and shortcuts. There are both amusing and heartfelt moments, but ultimately, Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon The Ocean Floor is a light piece of theatre. Diluted between comedy and romantic drama, it’s a murky mix that isn’t particularly strong on either front.
Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon The Ocean Flooris playing atSBW Stables Theatre until Saturday August 6.
