Review: THE PINK HAMMER at Warkworth Theatre Group

Deftly directed with keen emotional intensity by Catherine Maunsell, this New Zealand comedy-drama is effectively executed by a very talented cast working superbly together to create shape, light and shadow throughout. Definitely don’t be fooled by its comic disguise, this is a play full of surprises and revelations.. After all, appearance and reality are rarely the same thing.

The play centres around four women, (Helen, Louise, Siobhan and Annabel) who enrol in a women’s DIY workshop, hoping for empowerment and sisterhood, and expecting to be taught by Maggie Taylor. Set design and construction (Catherine Maunsell, Dave Walker, Richard Hutchinson, Dave Morgan)  can be proud of this genuine and authentic kiwi bloke shed.  The workshop is the perfectly created replica of a man-cave, complete with wooden benches, saw horses, dartboard, the pin up girl on the calendar (not even the right month), the beer fridge, crates, various tools on the wall, and an old lounge chair. Through the window, there is the glimpse of a green garden.

But Maggie doesn’t ever turn up. The women are left to surmise that she’s used their pre-paid fees to make a getaway from her husband (or has he done away with her?) But, as each of them confide their important reason for attending, it’s very clear that someone is going to have to step up and teach them. That very reluctant someone is Maggie’s husband, Woody (Gavin Lewis). His outrage is totally credible, and he is not easily persuaded. “Pick up your broomsticks and go.” It is the elegant, analytical and fiercely feminist counsellor Annabel (Laurene Dearlove) who tells him his poor impulse control is sexist and inappropriate. The workshop is a masculine fantasy world, a place of retreat and personal space to decompress from the day and their wives/mother. The audience laughs but, she says,  he needs to man up.

In many ways the play’s plot is simple, centring on a series of DIY evenings spread over several months.  But, as the play progresses, each of the characters remind us that we should never make assumptions, and definitely not judge anyone on first impression. Who knows what burden someone migth be carrying under that exterior?  With spectacular acting and distinctive and diffrentiated characterisation right from the outset, the audience are drawn in.  

On first impression, Louise (Sarah Woolford) is obviously socially awkward, desperately trying to make small talk, and an enthusiastic op shop purchaser. She’s lost her job as a nurse – we don’t know why - and lives at home, coping with her mother after her father has died. She wants to learn how to do a few simple DIY in order to sell their house. She’s somewhat “hormonally challenged”, upbeat but easily spooked, and when anxious, resorts to nervous scratching. But as the play unfolds, we learn why she’s like this. Excellent work from Sarah Woolford who has our sympathies without appearing to be downtrodden or “whining’.

Sally Knight capably conveys cynical and aloof Helen, who manages a thriving horse stud and claims she's “better with horses than humans.”  The face and posture often say it all.  Irish Siobhan (Julia Mitchell)  has a different stud in mind, and is having a fling with the local married vet. She’s there to build a dog house for his labradoodle.  Every sexual nuance is captured, and we can’t help liking her playful naughtiness. The audience definitely want to know her story. 

Without a doubt, the audience appreciate the situational humour inherent in the DIY attempts. We laugh because we recognise – and relate – to those awkward attempts at trying to bang in nails, or screw in screws, or use a saw. The laughter at Annabel’s attempts to use a saw drown out all dialogue. Witty lines shine through with ease. “when a group of women get together, it all becomes about food.”  “Cavemen turn out to have very disappointing clubs.”

But as the play progresses, it’s evident that there’s more than lively comedy here, there’s social comment, and there’s depth of ideas.  Now, as we start to learn the personal histories, the cast show just how skilled they are, bringing their hidden internal story convincingly to life, capturing it all with psychological, emotional and physical truth. It’s all there for us: their various moods, their attitudes, their fears, their anxieties, their grief, their loss, their sentimental sides, their hopes. Annabel reminds us that “real life is full of delusional stories but that truth will surface”. Siobhan challenges Woody to “move on”, to see the world, as it’s the best distraction ever.”  Director Catherine Maunsell is to be congratulated on the depth of crafted characterisation . What skill to convince us that someone such as Annabel, who we disliked intensely in the opening scenes, can now win our sympathy, that someone like Woody can listen and empathise, can become patient and supportive.

We witness the growth of solidarity, the cementing of strong friendships built on understanding and seeing what lies beyond first impressions. This is what we hope from life - that people can come to understand each other when they start being plain and honest, vulnerable and caring. The truisms abound. “Every parent thinks they could have done better.”  “How random life is. We must be grateful for the randomness of life, meeting up with people who can change our lives.”

The opening and ending moments of the play achieve a powerful contrast. Everyone is moved. It’s well worth making a trip to Warkworth Theatre (in the Town Hall)  to see this superbly presented production of a modern, compelling comic drama. Well done all!