Love blossoms on the other side of the frontier
A queer First Nations story set at the time of colonisation is not what you’d see in mainstream theatre but La Boite Theatre is always pushing the envelope.
Two young men on a sparse stage powerfully carry this multi-award-winning tale written by Dylan van den Berg and now playing at La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre at Kelvin Grove.
Whitefella Yella Tree has a brilliant premise. Rather than just being a love story between two young First Nations men, it adds to the mix the setting of the early years of British colonisation in Australia.
Co-directed by Declan Greene and Amy Sole, the play features two assured, sensitive performances from Joseph Althouse (The Visitors) as Ty, and Danny Howard (Jacky) as Neddy. At 16 years old, the two boys meet up when they’re tasked by their mobs (Ty is River Mob; Neddy is Mountain Mob) to share and find information regarding what the Whitefella invaders are up to. While doing the things boys that age do – joking around, big-noting themselves, trying out their athletic skills – they also start to develop a lot of affection for each other. This turns to romantic love.
The title refers to one of the main stage props – a suspended tree trunk with gnarly roots hanging down from it. Ty and Neddy meet under this “Whitefella yella tree” – a non-native lemon tree, signifying the always threatening presence of the British soldiers over the idyll that the boys have created for themselves when they’re alone together.
The effective design by Mason Browne, combined with the lighting design (Kelsey Lee and Katie Sfetkidis) and sound design (Steve Toulmin) makes for some dramatic moments, as short bursts of bright lights and blackouts with rumbling sounds evoke a sense of portentous dread.
This work was first developed through Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Company and, after a successful run from them, had a season with the Sydney Theatre Company. The same two actors from those productions appear in Brisbane, and it’s obvious they know the material well and carry it with all their heart and soul.
Althouse plays Ty as a thoughtful and cautious young man eager to learn all the knowledge from his elders, while Howard embodies the exuberance and adventurous attitude of Neddy. He’s the one who, after the white men take his sister away, decides to go and look for her.
Subscribe for updates
As the seasons change and lemons drop from the tree, Ty anxiously waits far too long for Neddy to return. He’s eventually devastated to see that his friend and lover has insinuated himself in with the colonisers. Neddy defends himself, saying it’s so he can learn where his sister is, but Ty can’t hide his disappointment at what he sees as Neddy’s abandonment of not only him but their culture.
As history shows, tragedy often struck for First Nations people during this time in history. The boys have to grow up quickly as they face the devastating consequences of what’s going on around them, their previous excitement and optimism having to give way to their harsh new reality. It’s a moving, sobering and ultimately very rewarding theatre experience.
Whitefella Yella Tree, La Boite Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove, until November 8. Recommended for audiences 15-plus. Contains loud noise, blinding lights, simulated sex scenes, weapons and descriptions or representations of colonial violence.