The Spook

The Spook
Melissa Reeves
At the Malthouse
Until March 10

For those of you who didn’t see it last time The Spook is the story of one naïve young ASIO agent, Martin, who is recruited right off the football team and sent in to infiltrate the communist party’s South Bendigo Branch.
Thrilling as that sounds, I have to say, it’s not my cup of tea. It skims along the surface of its subject matter, neither being too funny nor too dark, all in all remaining a rather safe look at espionage, paranoia and betrayal in Australia in the sixties, and by inference now. That it won three Awgie awards and the Louis Esson prize tells you more about the people giving out the award than the play itself.
But perhaps that’s a bit harsh. As a tent buddy from a different war recently told me, reviewing is consumer advice, and with that in mind I can confidently say that the consumers packing the Merlyn on Thursday night seemed to be having a ball.
Though we did all leave very quickly afterwards.
Luke Ryan is convincingly sympathetic as Martin, Margaret Mills is a delight to watch whenever she’s on stage and Kevin Harrington is doing a roaring trade in the uptight dorky rural local. Curiously Alison Bell’s comic sensibility is underused as Martin’s wife and only finds it’s outlet in her brief appearances as one of the Communist party members.
Beautiful Tom Healy, who I love like a next door neighbour, as director brings out the pathos of the piece deftly but in doing so sacrifices some of the humour and the together with the cast swallows the button to nearly every scene.
The Spook finds its audience in those consumers who are most comfortable with the familiar, so that makes them largely middle aged, moderately educated and partially politically aware. If were a little to young to vote for Whitlam, but just the right age to maintain your rage, then The Spook is no doubt right up your alley.