If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that stories bring people together. There’s a universal kinship that can be formed by sharing the seemingly insignificant jigsaw pieces that give our lives meaning. The way it felt to live in our childhood homes. The perfect way to have a cup of coffee. The silly games we played with our siblings growing up.
What I found in Blue, presented by Black Swan Theatre Company, is a celebration of stories and the power they have in helping people navigate their darkest moments by reminding us that maybe we’re not so alone.
Written by Kamilaroi writer and actor Thomas Weatherall, most prominently known for playing Malakai Mitchell in Heartbreak High on Netflix, Blue is a monologue that explores the fragility of life and the unavoidable devastation that comes with losing those we love.
Weatherall said he began writing what eventually became Blue as a form of self-prescribed therapy. This comes through self-referentially in the text, where the protagonist Mark is himself a writer. It’s through writing that Mark communicates with his mum when he first moves out of home and starts to undertake tertiary study.
Whadjuk Noongar actor Owen Hasluck makes his debut with Black Swan in the role of Mark. With a ninety-minute run time and no break in the performance, he skilfully invites the audience to join him for this journey of recollections spanning years with his warm and approachable disposition. He smoothly navigates tonal shifts from sunny, peaceful highs to stormy, bitter lows, commanding attention throughout.
For what is essentially a one-man show, the minimal set goes a long way in creating a canvas for the imagination. Irregular-shaped risers form all manner of household furniture, from sofas to kitchen benches. Mark manipulates these blocks fluidly as he continues recounting memories. Flipping them gently at first. And later letting them fall with resounding booms to punctuate dramatic climaxes.
At the centre of the stage are two glass panels, each fixed on a central axis so they can rotate freely of each other. Combined with clever lighting choices, their movement helps to build tension. Shifting the energy on the stage from stillness to chaos, they create a palpable sense of turbulence to match Mark’s emotional state. Even just a simple shift from warm to cool lighting helps to recalibrate the tone and progress the story almost imperceptibly.
At its opening night in Brisbane in 2024, Weatherall had no idea that this show would have a life beyond its initial season. Now, here in Whadjuk Noongar Country, opening on the first day of National Reconciliation Week, it’s wonderful to see this beautiful production with so much heart connect with so many people.
Written, directed and acted by talented First Nations people, Blue gives space to feelings we don’t often want to talk about. The debilitating side of loss. Finding your footing as a young adult in a world that wants to throw everything at you. But through sharing his story, Weatherall reminds us that it’s okay to feel. To make mistakes, and to love deeply.
Blue runs until 8 June at Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, 174/176 William Street Perth.
Tickets: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/blue
Website: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/blackswanstc/
Photo credits: Daniel J Grant
