Review by David Reyes
Helios: A Heartfelt 1:1, Sun-to-Son Retelling of the Greek Myth
Wright&Grainger
Canberra Theatre Centre
Fresh off tour in Melbourne and Adelaide, coming all the way from North Yorkshire in the UK, British theatre company Wright&Grainger’s Helios has come to the Canberra Theatre Centre. A contemporary, nostalgic reimagining of the stories of Helios and Phaethon. A raw and heartfelt take on the Greek myth, stripped of the morbidity and harrowing mortal fear of the original, Helios balances being a textured, interactive experience in the round and an emotional one-man show. With frequent audience participation, guided by hand through the story by the part-time Phaethon, part-time narrator: the magnetic Jamie McDowell.
Helios, interestingly, does not follow the story of the Greek god of the sun, but rather follows the story of his son, Phaethon. The play begins by setting up the conceit: the science of the sun, the origin of the myth, and it is only until after that Alexander Wright’s story begins. This retelling hangs its hat in suburban North Yorkshire, following the story of a young boy, Phaethon, whose father, Helios, is an aircraft pilot who supposedly flies overhead every morning, pulling the sun into the sky. Accompanied always by his long-time close friend Michael Kingston, whose lines are spoken by audience members and whose name stands out sorely amid names like Rhode or Actaeus, Phaethon experiences the hills and valleys of British boyhood, as if the script had come straight from an Ed Sheeran album.
A major contributor to the play’s intimate and authentic feel was Jamie McDowell: a versatile artist who began his career in acrobatics, followed by music, then theatre. Guaranteed, the play would not have been so strong without the clarity of its star’s vision. McDowell’s existing relationship to Alexander Wright and Phil Grainger is seen in the fidelity that he exhibits to the text, even going so far as to give an assured Q&A session afterwards. His reassuring presence and calming campfire voice allow the play to feel delivered, or better yet, shared by what almost seems like a friend. Helios’ audience interaction plays out less like a typical point-and-giggle one-off and more like, in the best sense of the word, a TED Talk. Occasionally, McDowell dips out of character to cross into myth or science to stimulate thought in the audience; this could be asking someone to start a stopwatch, or say a prepared line, which then becomes the set-up to introduce an astronomical concept like photons or supernovas. At times, much like our young protagonist, the production paid for its risk-taking and ambition, seen in its attempts at audience interaction. Michael Kingston, a constant figure in the play, was voiced entirely by awkward and easily embarrassed audience members. By inviting some audience members into active storytelling roles, Helios briefly lost the patience of others.
An intimate and focused staging placed eight tungsten lightbulbs with black wiring haphazardly coiling across the floor; an open laptop with the sound cues, McDowell’s performance was interrupted now and then to cue the next song. With sound and script clearly crafted in the same room, the elements of the play seamlessly meld into hair-raising sonic and visual fusion. The bare-boned electrical features sought to create an energy of authenticity, and despite their success, one might even consider the interdisciplinary attempt at rawness an excess. Although the intent behind some of the creative decisions was understandable, this doesn’t mean they were all tasteful. For instance, there were twelve pieces of paper lying on the floor for the duration of the play, which were scripts that were highlighted and read from by the actor. While the rehearsal-esque atmosphere is unseen and unique, one would hope that there still is a baseline for theatre to be polished. Albeit out of place, it caused a furrowing of eyebrows across the room, then was promptly tuned out for the rest of the performance.
Wright&Grainger’s Helios at the Canberra Theatre Centre offers three stories for the price of one: a domestic tale of a reckless young boy, a cosmic science of the ancient star at the centre of our solar system, and the mythic fall of the son of the sun god. All three of which are told with such cohesion and warmth — making them definitely worth a watch.
