A  Moveable Theatre and Amanda McErlean Present The Children by Lucy Kirkwood

PIP Theatre, Milton 

 

4^th-21st June 2025

 

Dr Gemma Regan

 

An unnerving dark comedy that is heart-thumpingly convincing

 

The twice Tony-nominated play The Children is one of those presentations that sticks with you as an unnerving niggle as you continue to cogitate on it. The dark comedy is based on a British novel by Olivier Award-winning playwright Lucy Kirkwood, set in a cottage on the remote coast of North England now transported to coastal Australia by director Heidi Gledhill. 

 

It was inspired by the worst nuclear disaster in British history with a fire in 1957 at Windscale (now rebranded as Sellafield) Nuclear Power plant in Cumbria, causing a nuclear meltdown and releasing enormous quantities of radiation across Europe. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the more recent Fukushima nuclear fire caused by the tsunami off the coast of Japan should have stopped the commissioning of nuclear power plants. Yet, still, more are built throughout the World and worryingly, may soon be back here in Australia.

 

The Children is a simple one-scene play set in ‘the safe zone’ in a remote farmhouse in an area drastically affected by a fire at the local nuclear power station spewing deadly radiation across the region and beyond. It is very relatable and heart-thumpingly convincing 

 

Amanda McErlean, who adroitly plays Rose, found the play in a bookshop in 2024 and was instantly excited that all three characters were over 60 and that it was relatable now that nuclear power is back on the Liberal’s agenda. It is a play that must be seen! 

 

The talented Julia Johnson is the motherly Hazel living in an old cottage with her ocker husband Rob, played brilliantly by former radio breakfast host and A Moveable Theatre Co-founder Terry Hansen, are familiar homely characters betraying their professional past. Both are retired nuclear engineers at the nuclear power station, carrying the weight of guilt as possible contributors to the disaster.

 

They have a jocular but strained relationship, borne of a shared family and working life, with Hazel keeping busy with household duties and Rob leaving daily to visit the cows. All is manageable until the vibrant Rose, a former colleague at the power plant, arrives unexpectedly with an agenda that will change all of their lives forever.

 

McEarlan, as Rose, is pushy and larger than life and also more familiar with Rob than the more timid Hazel finds comfortable. What ensues is a whirlwind of confessions and passion as Rob cracks open his endless supply of homemade parsnip wine.

 

The simple kitchen set utilised Noah Mills’ transitional lighting to denote the passage of time and the weather outside the window, effectively adding more dynamics to the single scene. Desley Martin, as Dramaturg, has refreshed the play with a more Australian flavour while still maintaining the quaint English feel.

 

All three actors are remarkable in this confronting play set in a cosy cottage kitchen. The PIP theatre also has a cosy seating setup with the audience only metres from the action as if also uninvited guests. The dark comedy features many light moments of married life, which resonated with the audience, eliciting peals of laughter. However, as the play becomes darker, the laughs become fewer as the twist in the plot is revealed.

 

The relatively new PIP theatre is an independent production company and performing arts venue that aims to harness the power of performing arts to create social change in Brisbane. It is a small but delightful, quirky venue showcasing a variety of productions, with a lovely bohemian rooftop bar located in the restaurant district of Milton.