Theatre - Blowing Whistles

Reviews, By adam bishop, 13th February, 2008

Blowing Whistles is the kind of theatre every gay man should see. Whilst rooted in cunning humour and quotable one-liners, there are some serious truths to consider in British playwright Matthew Todd’s work. Here’s why…

Nigel (Lindsay Moss) and Jamie (Neil Phipps) are celebrating their tenth anniversary together on the eve of the Mardi Gras party. Like dog years, multiply how long a gay couple have been together by the power of three and we have what the relationship amounts to in the straight world. So for Nigel and Jamie, a handsome and spritely couple, ten years is a hell of a feat. But something is brewing and it’s not Moroccan coffee.

Enter Cumboy_17 (Mark, played by Lindsay Farris) and the romantic dynamic quickly shifts. Nigel and Jamie’s ‘rules’ about three-way play are put to the test.

Blowing Whistles both celebrates contemporary gay identity and chastises it. On one hand we have this wonderful capacity to live life to the fullest – disco, parties, sex, indulgence. Yet it’s also our Achilles heel.

I realise that this portrait of our lifestyle is a generalisation, but it is nonetheless an immense part of our culture. It is what characterises our annual Mardi Gras party (and a hell of a lot of fun).

Seeing this divergence intersect on stage is like looking into a mirror. So close to the bone was this play that I was compelled to text a significant old flame convincing him to see this play while he is coincidentally in town. Whole scenes played out before me which closely resembled the more turbulent moments at the tail end of our relationship. Even the Ikea furniture set was a visual reminder of the space we shared! Blowing Whistles is right on the money.

The wonderful thing about art is that when it is so culturally specific, it becomes universal. It is the play’s candour and references to gay Sydney which make the drama so compelling. Kudos to Pete Nettell and Alice Livingstone for so pertinently adapting a play written about gay South London.

Neil Phipps and Lindsay Moss do a wonderful job of exposing the raw and guarded passions that lie in amongst any deeply connected couple. Lindsay Farris delivers an entrancing performance as a confused young gay whose naivety speaks truth.

So much soul is laid out on that stage that it’s hard to not let it affect you. If you’ve been in a passionate, emotionally-charged relationship, and the love between you changed, this play will speak to you.

Oh, and they get their kits off.

Blowing Whistles is playing now at Belvoir St Theatre until March 2.

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