Catherine McClements in The Events.
Camera IconCatherine McClements in The Events. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Music and theatre blend in the WA premiere of The Events

Jill BurgessMandurah Coastal Times

NOT only does the audience get first-class turns from the two stars of The Events but choral performances as well that provide a great mixture of theatre and music.

The Events is performed with a different community choir in the background each night – each choir has rehearsed the music but only been given the script minutes before walking on stage.

The Events was the sleeper hit of the 2013 Edinburgh Festival and has premiered in Perth after successful seasons in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

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Catherine McClements (Water Rats, Rush) plays Claire, a vicar and leader of a community choir that meets in a town hall but when a young man enters the hall and opens fire, her ideals are blown apart.

In the wake of the tragedy, a conversation ensues between Claire and the troubled young man and the songs follows Claire’s journey towards understanding.

Both McClements and Johnny Carr, making his debut for Black Swan, provide tense and gripping performances.

Like Hir and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll paired earlier this year, The Events and The Assassins, both playing at the State Theatre, look at social issues important to the community.

The Events was written by David Greig as a response to the 2011 Norwegian massacre in Norway when Anders Breivik took a ferry to an idyllic island and shot dead 69 young people.

WHAT: The Events

WHERE: Studio Underground, State Theatre, Perth.

WHEN: Until July 8.