WE SHALL REMEMBER
"UNDER ANY OLD GUM TREE"
Play Reviewed by Colin Merrey
On Saturday 1st February, I bore witness to a remarkable spectacle at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth. It was “Under Any Old Gum Tree” - the story of Martin O’Meara – an Irishman who served as a stretcher bearer in the Great War of 1914 – 1918 who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in the face of the enemy during that terrible conflict – a man who indeed never got over his experiences during his time in the trenches. Further, his various treatments at the hands of his so-called carers during his time “recuperating” from the horrors of war at the Claremont Asylum in Western Australia would make your blood run cold. Here was a man who having served England well during the conflict – notwithstanding that, as an Irishman, it wasn’t really “his war” - and who was treated by medical professionals who didn’t understand what shell shock (that which we now call post traumatic stress syndrome) did to a man and knew nothing about the method in which it should be treated. The performance came in two acts essentially – the first setting out Martin O’Meara’s story and the second a musical presentation of contiguous songs to the setting put together by the multi talented/multi faceted Fred Rea (more of whom later).
Firstly, the Martin O’Meara story was presented in a truly memorable manner – firstly, the script (by Noel O’Neill who also directed the production) was completely sympathetic to the scenario and extremely moving. The acting prowess of the two performers in Kieran Garvey (as O’Meara) and Rex Gray (as the Orderly) (I say two although it is essentially a one man performance by the remarkable Kieran Garvey – a newcomer to the Perth Irish Theatre scene having only arrived here in 2012) was for me without peer. It has been quite some time since I have been so moved by a play – in fact, after the first act someone asked me if I enjoyed the performance and I found I couldn’t answer the question. Here was not a story that you could enjoy in the accepted sense of the word – it was told in such a way that you were so affected by the injustices done to this man that you literally wept with him and for him. I was more stunned and moved by this awful story in which Kieran so inhabited the character of O’Mara that you might think it was Martin O’Meara on that stage telling his own story! It is my humble opinion that there are big things in store for Kieran Garvey – I feel that this is really only the beginning of a major acting career for this unassuming man and I feel privileged to have seen him perform at virtually the start of it.
The second act, as I said earlier, was a musical presentation of music and song contiguous (thanks to narrator Frank Murphy for that one!) to the theme of war and its horrors put together by Fred Rea. There were some traditional songs and some written specifically for the play – those being “”From Collie’s Banks to No Man’s Land” written by Irishman Dave McGillon and performed by Fred Rea, “Any Old Gum Tree” written and performed by Fiona Rea and the song from whose chorus I took the headline for this piece
“The Stretcher Bearers” written and performed by Fred Rea. Other essentially anti war songs presented were “Johnny I Hardly Knew You” performed by Sean O’Rourke, “The Old Man’s Tale” written by Scot Ian Campbell and performed by the under rated Phil Beck and a wonderful song :The Sleeper Cutter’s Camp” a poem by Dan Sheehan set to music very recently and again performed by Phil Beck. There were also musical interludes by whistle player Dymphna Finch – a stalwart of the Irish music scene here in Perth. This part of the production was rounded out with a moving “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” that powerful protest song of the eternal circle written by the recently deceased Pete Seeger – that describes the circle of life through the flowers that are picked by the young girls for there boyfriends who go off to war, are killed in battle and who find their final rest in the very graveyards from where the flowers came that they received from their lasses before going off to war – and so on – and so on. When will they ever learn indeed?
Altogether this was a fine evening and all of those who have devoted so much time to its production over the last many, many months are to be whole heartedly congratulated. This was the maiden performance of this remarkable play and I understand that it is to be presented later in the year in Collie – I know that the Collie residents will more than enjoy this highly commendable presentation and that all in all the play will be picked up by a larger body (PIAF perhaps or ABC TV) and that it can so reach the large audience ethat it deserves.
COLIN MERREY
"UNDER ANY OLD GUM TREE"
Play Reviewed by Colin Merrey
On Saturday 1st February, I bore witness to a remarkable spectacle at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth. It was “Under Any Old Gum Tree” - the story of Martin O’Meara – an Irishman who served as a stretcher bearer in the Great War of 1914 – 1918 who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in the face of the enemy during that terrible conflict – a man who indeed never got over his experiences during his time in the trenches. Further, his various treatments at the hands of his so-called carers during his time “recuperating” from the horrors of war at the Claremont Asylum in Western Australia would make your blood run cold. Here was a man who having served England well during the conflict – notwithstanding that, as an Irishman, it wasn’t really “his war” - and who was treated by medical professionals who didn’t understand what shell shock (that which we now call post traumatic stress syndrome) did to a man and knew nothing about the method in which it should be treated. The performance came in two acts essentially – the first setting out Martin O’Meara’s story and the second a musical presentation of contiguous songs to the setting put together by the multi talented/multi faceted Fred Rea (more of whom later).
Firstly, the Martin O’Meara story was presented in a truly memorable manner – firstly, the script (by Noel O’Neill who also directed the production) was completely sympathetic to the scenario and extremely moving. The acting prowess of the two performers in Kieran Garvey (as O’Meara) and Rex Gray (as the Orderly) (I say two although it is essentially a one man performance by the remarkable Kieran Garvey – a newcomer to the Perth Irish Theatre scene having only arrived here in 2012) was for me without peer. It has been quite some time since I have been so moved by a play – in fact, after the first act someone asked me if I enjoyed the performance and I found I couldn’t answer the question. Here was not a story that you could enjoy in the accepted sense of the word – it was told in such a way that you were so affected by the injustices done to this man that you literally wept with him and for him. I was more stunned and moved by this awful story in which Kieran so inhabited the character of O’Mara that you might think it was Martin O’Meara on that stage telling his own story! It is my humble opinion that there are big things in store for Kieran Garvey – I feel that this is really only the beginning of a major acting career for this unassuming man and I feel privileged to have seen him perform at virtually the start of it.
The second act, as I said earlier, was a musical presentation of music and song contiguous (thanks to narrator Frank Murphy for that one!) to the theme of war and its horrors put together by Fred Rea. There were some traditional songs and some written specifically for the play – those being “”From Collie’s Banks to No Man’s Land” written by Irishman Dave McGillon and performed by Fred Rea, “Any Old Gum Tree” written and performed by Fiona Rea and the song from whose chorus I took the headline for this piece
“The Stretcher Bearers” written and performed by Fred Rea. Other essentially anti war songs presented were “Johnny I Hardly Knew You” performed by Sean O’Rourke, “The Old Man’s Tale” written by Scot Ian Campbell and performed by the under rated Phil Beck and a wonderful song :The Sleeper Cutter’s Camp” a poem by Dan Sheehan set to music very recently and again performed by Phil Beck. There were also musical interludes by whistle player Dymphna Finch – a stalwart of the Irish music scene here in Perth. This part of the production was rounded out with a moving “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” that powerful protest song of the eternal circle written by the recently deceased Pete Seeger – that describes the circle of life through the flowers that are picked by the young girls for there boyfriends who go off to war, are killed in battle and who find their final rest in the very graveyards from where the flowers came that they received from their lasses before going off to war – and so on – and so on. When will they ever learn indeed?
Altogether this was a fine evening and all of those who have devoted so much time to its production over the last many, many months are to be whole heartedly congratulated. This was the maiden performance of this remarkable play and I understand that it is to be presented later in the year in Collie – I know that the Collie residents will more than enjoy this highly commendable presentation and that all in all the play will be picked up by a larger body (PIAF perhaps or ABC TV) and that it can so reach the large audience ethat it deserves.
COLIN MERREY