June 05, 2009

Krakouer! by Reg Crigg at Victoria Hall in Fremantle...

JIM and Phil were there along with their father Eric. The extended Krakouer family probably made up about a third of the audience on opening night of the new Deckchair Theatre production Krakouer! by Reg Cribb.
A woman said, “I didn’t know these stories until I read the book.” It was a comment that highlighted the importance of Sean Gorman’s book Brotherboys that inspired the play.
As the opening night crowd gathered outside Victoria Hall in Fremantle’s High Street Gorman looked the most anxious. He may have handed over his book in an artistic sense but it was his decision to tell the story of the brothers that led to this occasion.
Sporting tales on stage and screen are often let down by poorly choreographed action scenes where actors remind us that they were the arty kids at school not the ones in the footy and cricket teams.
Deckchair took a simple approach to bringing this story to the stage. The set was simple, the props minimal including a succession of footballs ranging from rolled up socks to plastic footies to Burleys; and various stylised guernseys.
There was a cast of three: Jimi Bani as Jim, Sean Dow as Phil and Luke Hewitt was everyone else. Hewitt found himself as childhood friends, mums, car salesmen, Graham Moss, John Kennedy, Allen “Shorty” Daniels... you name it. At one point one of the brothers says: “Who’s he playing now,” as Hewitt makes one of his many entrances.
Bani and Dow have obviously honed their ball skills and the scenes of the brothers mucking around with balls as kids are convincing – Dow even throwing the ball (or socks) onto his left foot in Phil’s famous style.
However the actors are not called upon to imitate the deeds of the brothers on the field... actual footage is used for this with great effect. Even those with no football knowledge can appreciate highlights of the Krakouers sharing the ball and avoiding trouble.
Jim, of course, could not avoid real trouble – three gaol terms and a year’s worth of suspensions in the VFL/AFL attest to that. Payback and retribution were part of the elder brother’s makeup and while he avoided using alcohol and drugs it was gambling that brought about his biggest fall.
Phil’s disco hips – as highlighted hilariously in the play – were his way out of trouble on the field while his more easygoing and conciliatory approach to life meant his path away from football was less rocky.
There’s a powerful message there for young Indigenous men.
After the show Eric, Jim and Phil all addressed the audience. If it had been difficult for them to see their lives on stage they didn’t show it. They were happy with Krakouer! – it told the story accurately and the actors did a good job. They thanked Gorman for coming to them with his crazy scheme to write a book.
Jim has punched and been belted but he’s still going. He works at a mine in Karratha and looks like he could still play.
Phil works for the Justice Department in Melbourne: “If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em,” he said.
There were two younger footy playing Krakouer brothers – Andrew played eight games for North Melbourne in 1989-90 and Billy was a premiership player for East Fremantle in 1992. I spoke to Billy after the show and he too spoke of the accuracy of the play. It brought back striking memories for him of the time the family spent at the Mt Barker Aboriginal Reserve at a time when people in the main town were happy to have Aborigines working for them but were quite ready to have them living next door.
Krakouer! works as a piece of theatre – it’s engaging, funny and moving and it rips along at a nice pace. It makes perfect sense for the story Jim and Phil to be told in this way... on the football field they were artists.
Krakouer! is at Victoria Hall until 20 June.
Brotherboys by Sean Gorman is published by Allen & Unwin.

Headline note: Jack Dyer once said during commentary on a North Melbourne game: “He’s a good player that Krakouer brothers.”

• Sean Gorman with Jim & Phil Krakouer at the opening of Krakouer!. Photo by Les Everett.

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