Writer & Director: Nathan Higgins
Starring: Sam Armstrong and Jared Wooldridge
Producer: Magic Mirror Theatre Company
6 November 2024 at The Meteor
The first offering for The Meteor’s HIKO! Festival is Nathan Higgins’ debut play Don’t Mention It. Higgins is a filmmaker (hence the super cool teaser video on Facebook) who wrote this 40-minute piece at the beginning of the year. Following some discussions with the team at Magic Mirror Theatre Company, Don’t Mention It was added to the festival lineup. All was going well until one of the actors fell ill and had to pull out of the production at the eleventh hour. Higgins and friends rallied and in stepped local legend Sam Armstrong to play the role of Julian. Playing opposite Armstrong is well known actor Jared Wooldridge in the role of Rico.
What’s worse than an academic with mountains of work to do? An academic with mountains of work to do, an untimely broken arm, cabin fever, and frustrated that an unwanted visitor can’t read the room.
Given that Armstrong is in the thick of rehearsals for another production, I have to acknowledge his willingness to take on the role with less than 48 hours to prepare. Armstrong met the challenge and immediately fell into character with a credible performance as the agitated academic.
Wooldridge is an adaptable and entertaining actor with an ever-growing repertoire of work. He was superbly cast as Rico, an irritating musician with an inability to pick up on social cues.
The intimate set added to the awkwardness between Rico and Julian. The shrewd lighting design was subtle and appropriate. Both actors possess excellent voice projection, and sound effects enhanced the humour.
Don’t Mention It is a slick play that is perfect for a festival environment. The characters are believable and interesting, and I imagine other actors will want to give these roles and this dialogue a crack. Congratulations to Higgins for pushing ahead with the production when the chips were down. Due to time constraints, Don’t Mention It will be presented as a staged reading. Nevertheless, because of Wooldridge and Armstrong’s talent, this style of performance does not detract from the experience.
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