★★★★★
PIP Theatre presents Brace Brace by Oli Forsyth, a heart-pumping and deeply emotional play about surviving a life-altering event. Prepare to embark on a bumpy ride, as Brace Brace tackles terror and gratitude in the same breath.
Newlyweds Ray (Henry Solomon) and Sylvia (Amelia Slatter) are heading to their dream honeymoon on a distant beach. But before their holiday even begins, their lives are flipped upside down.
While on the plane, The Man (Matthew Filkins) steals control from the pilot and sends everyone plummeting towards the ground. For a brief few minutes, the hundreds of passengers see their lives flash before their eyes and experience what they believe will be their last moments alive.
It asks the question: when the world is crashing down around you, do you fight or take flight?
For Sylvia and Ray, it’s instinctual. Flashbacks show them jumping into action, fighting off the hijacker and helping to recover the plane. But the turmoil haunts them.
Ray and Sylvia now must navigate a new path in their marriage and grapple with how their perspectives have changed in the aftermath. Are they lucky to have survived, or unlucky to have been in that situation at all?
Writer Oli Forsyth went through a similar ordeal as a child while on a family trip. A hijacker forcefully took control of their plane and sent the almost 400 passengers hurtling toward the ground at 30,000ft a minute. They were saved with just four seconds to spare.
Forsyth beautifully weaves the raw clarity of near-death trauma into the play, especially through the characters. Their complicated reactions, inherent fear and frustration, and constant need for something to give them peace is fascinating to behold.
Director Deidre Grace, also the owner of the remarkable PIP Theatre, expertly pilots Brace Brace into a state of heightened emotions, then leaves onlookers holding on for impact.
She creates a story to be immersed in, rather than just watch. The characters retell their experience in pieces to the audience, talking over one another and battling to be heard.
Grace beautifully orchestrates scene after scene of well-timed, layered conversations. It’s like being a bystander to an argument between a married couple who keep trying to make you pick a side.
The impressive set design by Bill Haycock is reminiscent of an aeroplane’s aisle, its narrowness making the scenes more intimate. It is especially captivating to watch Jason McKell’s meticulously choreographed fight scenes take over the small stage, as the actors push and shove to stay on top.
Balancing strength and vulnerability simultaneously without minimising either trait is a difficult feat, but Amelia Slatter pulls it off. She plays the confident Sylvia with a fierce, fiery disposition. Her anger turns explosive, her happiness is bright, and her sadness is like an unlit candle, without purpose.
Henry Solomon plays the other half of the honeymoon pair as hopeful and more willing to move on from the almost-disaster. Ray is an unsuccessful comedian who makes up for his ill-timed jokes with an abundance of enthusiasm. Solomon makes the character his own by channelling charisma and compassion into his performance.
In his role as The Man, Mathew Filkins embodies cruelty and instils a sense of dread and terror. With just a change in stance and a mad stare, Filkins sends chills through the theatre.
He also has the unique ability to reel in audiences by shrugging off cruel characters in seconds and switching to a concerned father, conceited TV host, or paranoid pilot.
Brace Brace is a journey into the harsh reality of surviving an event with a lot of media scrutiny and morbid curiosity. It’s dramatic, bloody, and emotionally all over the place, but PIP Theatre’s production will have audiences free-falling in love with it.
Brace Brace is presented by PIP Theatre and runs to 30 May at PIP Theatre. 20 Park Road Milton Qld 4064.
Tickets: https://piptheatre.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/157504
Website: https://piptheatre.org/brace-brace/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/piptheatreau/
Photo credits: Images by Anderson
