This multi-award winning show returns to the Fringe retelling a stream of real life stories from a handful of survivors of the 2009 Australian bush fires that claimed 173 lives. Ali Kennedy-Scott channels the tales belonging to the Everyman, but her reflections on ‘the worst natural disaster in Australia's history’, referred to as ‘Black Saturday’, whose aim is to ignite a sense of hope in sharing these accounts, instead starved these survivors' stories of life. As a lone performer her responsibility to each character is increased, requiring greater skill to interchange identity so quickly, a feat that Kennedy-Scott fell very short of.
Each impression lacked conviction and her repertoire sat on an awkward axis between weak stylised movement and forced gimmicky acting. Although I hoped she would wear the survivors’ stories and morph into each monologue, it always felt like there was too much of the actress present in the characters. Changing hairstyles before stepping into a new role seemed to expose her lack of confidence. It seemed as if she had not captured enough of the individual human experience to elicit any tears from this real life tragedy. Where music normally has an emotive effect, the slow, ominous piano motif was a repetitive irritant.
Despite Kennedy-Scott's inability to inspire an honest portrayal from this drama, the stories she told were fascinating. Their variety delivered an interesting slice of recent Australian history and, even if her delivery lacked authenticity, it was easy watching.
