The Old People Are Revolting

In The Old People Are Revolting New Zealand playwright Devon Williamson visualises a world in which retirement communities and assisted living homes are populated by the real-world professionals and Sixties activists who haven't changed in spirit, only in age.

The Sunshine Retirement Village is such a place, but whatever the location the residents  are probably ones you know or would recognise.  Peggy, who likes to sew, nicely played by Prue Harrison, Patricia (strongly played by Barbara Oxley), a supposedly retired judge; Shirley (Susy Worzencraft) a left-over hippie; Doug (Graham Allen) a former farmer who loves explosions, and the dotty Elizabeth (Sara Halse). Then there's Howie (expertly played by John Levantis). A certain body odour produced in great quantity by Howie is one of the main running gags of the show.

When the local council decides to end a rebate for the elderly, passions are raised. Pushed to the edge by an uncaring bureaucracy, there is only one course of action left to take and this disparate group decide to become a micro-nation headed by their own Queen Elizabeth.  Ashley, the local television reporter (well played by Becky Hawker) introduces the protestors to the idea of going viral on YouTube.

Well done to the set design and construction team for the excellent set particularly the neat French window design, the (rarely used) terrace and the great backdrops.  As with most St John’s Players’ productions, lighting, sound and costume were good.  

Directors Claire Milner and Martin Hunt took on the challenge of a play making its English premiere. The story itself unfolds oddly.  The first act is mainly vignettes of the community residents, the second act a more sustained story line of protest, media relations, and things that go “Ka-Boom!”.   The first act lacked pace, which may have been in the writing but, I think, more due to some slow cue bite.  The second act however, moved along better containing as it did much of the humour.  Whilst the performances were in the main good there were a number of prompts and some hesitancy which was surprising given that I was at the Friday night performance.  

I am sorry to say this wasn’t one of my favourite SJP productions, being, I felt, somewhat static and laboured at times but the large audience certainly appeared to enjoy it.  I am sure they could hardly believe they ended up standing in salute to the retiree micro-nation's flag and singing their national anthem “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”!

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