Savage River

First published on 1 Jun 2009. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

Kingsley (Ian Bliss) and his son Tiger (Travis Cardona) live in a shack near the sea on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. Kingsley works in four-day shifts in the magnetite mine at Savage River, eking out an existence made even more meagre by his habit of gambling away his paycheques, while 17-year-old Tiger has barely left home in his life. When a drunken traveller called Jude (Peta Sergeant) picks up Kingsley in a roughneck pub, the pragmatic miner spies an opportunity not just for sex but to fleece the girl of her cash to pay off his latest debt. Jude, a former exotic dancer, is not averse to hiding out at the men's hut as she has problems of her own to outrun, but finds herself torn between the attentions of the brutish Kingsley and the virginal Tiger.

The actor Steve Rodgers researched his latest play living among the miners of Savage River and the piece has a strong sense of place. One of his themes is the intermingling of indigenous and white experience: the absence of Tiger's aboriginal mother is strongly felt, and he and Kingsley both take part in the annual mutton birding season so important to native Tasmanians. But Rodgers doesn't let the bigger social picture get in the way of a compelling tale of sexual rivalry, secrets, lies and emotional scars. Director Peter Evans gets naturalistic performances from the three actors; Peta Sergeant brings something of the sensual spirit of the young Helen Mirren to her earthy but brittle Jude. This co-production with the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Tasmanian Theatre Company is well worth catching before it travels interstate. Nick Dent