Brett & Wendy - A Love Story Bound by Art - Review

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Posted 2019-01-20 by Janelle ⇒ follow

Fri 18 Jan 2019 - Sun 27 Jan 2019

Australian art lovers have been interested in the life and works of Brett Whiteley since the late 1950s. Brett and Wendy - A Love Story Bound By Art is a powerful and deeply moving portrayal of his life and loves. The cast of six actors and three dancers take the audience on a 75-minute minute journey from childhood to death.

Created designed and directed by Kim Carpenter , the production had its world premiere at Parramatta's Riverside Theatres, as part of the January 2019 Sydney Festival.

This multimedia work contains strong visual elements such as large scale projections of Whiteley's art and documentary footage. The dialogue is sparse but poetic and usually narrative. We meet a young Brett played by dancer Dean Elliott and his sister Frannie (Jeanette Cronin) and are given insights into his childhood and family relationships as the story follows his life chronologically. Although the story is sad and disturbing, the production is not entirely dark as it contains periods of wry humour and extraordinary beauty.

Paul Gleeson and Leanna Walsman play the talented and tortured couple with spirit and are able to elicit empathy from the audience. Paul plays Brett Whiteley as a fidgety sprite whose nervous energy and various addictions both feed and stifle his creative pursuits.

Each element including music, choreography, costuming and set design blend seamlessly with the diverse array of visual effects to create an unforgettable experience.