Prisoner at the World’s End – Theatre Review

Prisoner at the World’s End is a Kafkaesque imagining arising out of the grim and grotesque circumstances of Julian Assange’s imprisonment.

In 2010, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange published a series of leaks from a US Army intelligence analyst, which got the Aussie into a lot of trouble (eventually charged with espionage). After being accused of sexual offences in Sweden, Assange sought asylum in 2012 at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition. There, he remained for seven years, welcoming celebrities like Lady Gaga, skateboarding through the halls, and playing on his computer until he was arrested by the British police. “Prisoner at the World’s End” written by playwright R. Johns explores Assange’s predicament through the eyes of three women who work in a volunteer café at HM Prison Belmarsh. While making sandwiches, the women quibble about their famous inmate in High Security. Is he a hero, a victim, or simply a master manipulator?

Stepping into La Mama HQ to watch a show for the first time since the 2018 fire reminded me just how intimate theatre can be. Every wrinkle, sweaty forehead, fluffed line, and emotional response by the actors, you notice at La Mama. Cast strengths and weaknesses are exposed under the glare of the lights on that tiny stage. The playwright gets pretty much the same treatment; there is nowhere to hide, so the blueprint (the script) must be tight. “Prisoner at the World’s End” starts with a good idea (three Christian women working in the prison that holds Julian Assange) but ends up dishing out facts over drama. There are funny moments and well-written scenes. The scene where the three women pretend to be different types of cats is hysterical, but the script, absurdist at times, never lets the three lead characters fully breathe. They live on stage strictly to feed us information and tell stories about Assange and trans-WikiLeaks activist Chelsea Manning. The stories also include the murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in 2018. As interesting as these real stories are, they don’t give us, the audience, someone to love or root for, and collectively the stories don’t create on-stage drama, and the play ultimately ends up being in search of action. What the script does do beautifully is show us generational change… from the tough-as-nails Baby Boomers to the independent Gen X, right through to the slightly self-indulgent and computer-savvy Gen Z. We understand these people, they live next door, serve us in supermarkets, and we know what they stand for.

On opening night, Joanne Davis gave a solid performance as the Gen X volunteer, and her cat acting was simply purr-fect! Even Andrew Lloyd Webber would be proud. Gen Z volunteer, Romy McIlroy, obsessed with the TV show Neighbours, was suitably anxious and girlish, while Maureen Hartley was spirited as the Baby Boomer/Rupert Murdoch. The highlight of the play comes halfway through when the three lead actors fall silent, and a young girl (brilliantly performed by Sepideh Karimi) walks onstage and slowly starts to relive the horror of the Battle of Mosul, a battle that left thousands of civilians dead and the city in ruins. Karimi’s heartfelt ten-minute monologue and her conviction to not just tell us a story but to relive it was appreciated by the opening night crowd. She is definitely an actor to keep an eye on.

This is a curious piece of theatre. There is much to enjoy, but there is still work to be done by the playwright. “Prisoner at the World’s End” uses the parable of the Good Samaritan for Assange’s situation and explores themes of justice, truth-telling, and loyalty. The playwright was inspired to write the story after hearing Assange’s lawyer speak at La Mama Courthouse in 2022. At one point in the opening night performance, the Gen Z volunteer asks, “If the TV show Neighbours can get five million fans to save it, why can’t we help Julian Assange?” I can honestly say, I don’t know why. But the audience deserves an answer.

Prisoner at the World’s End will also be livestreamed on Friday 24th Nov at 7.30pm. The livestream playback will be available for 72 hours after the show.

SEASON: Nov 15 (Preview)  – Nov 26

TIMES: Wed 6.30pm Thur, Fri, Sat 7.30pm Sun: 4pm CONTENT WARNING: Reference to violence.

VENUE: La Mama HQ, 203 Faraday St, Carlton.

BOOKINGS: 03 9347 6948 or www.lamama.com.au

Co-Directors: Elnaz Sheshgelani and Rosemary Johns – Writer: R. Johns – Graphics & Design: Peter Mumford – Sound Design and Music Composition: Robert Vincs – Lighting Design and Projection: Simon Bowland

Actors: Joanne Davis, Maureen Hartley, Sepideh Karimi and Romy Mcllroy

Stage Manager: Catherine Baud – Assistant Stage Manager: Jade Hibbert – Marketing Image: Peter Mumford – Publicity: Tracy Routledge, TR PR – Photography: Darren Gill

More Info: https://linktr.ee/noelanderson

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NOEL ANDERSON (Writer & Director) completed NIDA Playwright Studio 1996 and also trained at Stella Adler Studio (New York), The Gate Theatre (London), Independent Theatre (Sydney) and Brisbane Academy of Music. He has worked as an actor, director, writer throughout Australia, his written work includes: Germ Warfare, Circles and The Carer which played at Sydney’s Belvoir Street theatre. Noel's strictly adult play, Sammy & Dave, which he also directed, played to packed houses at the Stables Theatre (Sydney), running for a staggering 3 months. In 2001-2002, Noel’s children’s play Kylie Kastle Throws a Party was performed in hundreds of schools across the country by Troubadour Theatre Co. As director & dramaturg, Noel worked on Kingdom - an Australian musical based on the King Arthur Legend and also The Other Half, a TV pilot for Beyond Films. Noel assistant directed on the first ever Aboriginal sitcom produced on SBS TV called The Masters, and counts Sylvia Plath’s play Letter’s Home at Belvoir Street Theatre among his best directing work. In 2004 -2006, Noel worked on a feature film script, Adult Services and a new play, Moonshot, about the American Lunar landing. But, needing adventure, he packed up and moved to Melbourne where he directed Dark Angels with Pop Diva Katie Underwood (Bardot). In 2008, Noel’s short play "Pulling Out" won Midsumma’s Pink Shorts Festival and Noel's production The Water Sellers at Dante's was awarded Best Director by the Monash Theatre Festival. In 2013, Noel's written work was performed in the show Love Letters at the Melbourne Arts Centre and his play Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes of Fame played to full houses at La Mama, Courthouse. Other directing work includes: Oliver (The Gold Coast Performing Arts Centre), Friday Night in Town, A Fitzroy Romance, Blowing Whistles, Australia Dot Com (Melbourne Comedy Festival), Narelle MacDonald : Descent into Pop Madness and Especes Menacees (performed in French) for the Melbourne French Theatre Company. Be sure to catch Noel's six part TV series NEXT... about internet dating on Foxtel and Apple TV in 2017. Other credits include : The Sydney Gay Mardi Gras, The Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, The Sydney Film Festival, and The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games . In 2015 Noel's play Andy Warhol's Ffteen Minutes of Fame returned to Melbourne, playing to sold out performances at the Jewish Museum of Australia alongside Andy Warhol's Geniuses Exhibition. Noel then directed Price Check the musical at Theatreworks. He finished 2015 with a musical he directed and co-wrote called Audrey Hepburn and I Considers Our Assets at the Melba Spiegeltent, home of Circus Oz.

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