WE HAVE BOYS AT HOME

Written & Directed by Conor Maxwell

Starring: Hannah-Rose Cook, Bronwyn Laundry, Rachael Bloemendal, Jam Smith

The Meteor, 29 May – 1 June 2024

R16: Contains frequent use of coarse language.

Conor Maxwell’s newest play “We Have Boys At Home” has opened at The Meteor. The play centres around a road trip from Hamilton to Napier so that Meg can visit boyfriend Ryan. Meg is accompanied by best friend Jay who is going to audition for a feature film to be shot in the Hawke’s Bay. Themes explored include love, friendship, online dating, and the tensions that can result as a result of egos and ulterior motives. Mentions were made of Hamilton-specific locations and events, and even Tirau got a shout out. We Have Boys At Home is a play within a play, getting into the mechanics of writing an autobiographical script and then having to explain creative decisions to those around.

Hannah-Rose Cook (Meg) set the scene with a long monologue, and as her portrayal of the protagonist progressed she showcased a beautiful vulnerability. Cook’s ability to shift gears emotionally at the drop of the hat is one of her superb skills. Meg’s friend Jay was played by lively Bronwyn Laundry who also helped guide the storyline by breaking the fourth wall to manage playwright Meg.

Rachael Bloemendal almost stole the show with her comedic timing and capacity to transition across a broad range of characters swiftly. Jam Smith (Ryan) also played multiple supporting characters which showcased their ability to capture the nuances of a wide variety of personas. Bloemendal and Smith were great sidekicks and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the gamut of roles.

We Have Boys At Home was more dramedy than comedy. Maxwell’s expertise lies in writing good banter. Phrases such as ‘gay bacon’ also known as Rainbow Belt candy, or ‘less than three’ a literal translation of the text symbol for a love heart <3 were sprinkled throughout and kept the script fresh with contemporary expressions. Maxwell’s dialogue and direction gave the cast plenty of room to entertain. Even when only partially visible in the wings, the cast hammed up getting good laughs as a result.

Intentional or not, often the lines were blurred in terms of what were the actions that lead to the creation of the script, or what was the play. We Have Boys At Home is ripe for further development, and would work well as a one act piece. The quartet took us on a memorable ride via the imagination of Conor Maxwell.

Photo: Guy Coker