A QUIET NIGHT IN RANGOON

Almost four years to the day ago, a group of peaceful demonstrators took to the streets of Rangoon, Burma – a country ranked amongst the world’s 20 poorest – to protest against the sudden removal of fuel subsidies by the ruling military junta. The protesters, many of whom were women, students, and monks, were dealt with swiftly and brutally. The uprising became known as the Saffron Revolution and over the months resulted in hundreds if not thousands of casualties (including a visiting Japanese journalist), the continued house arrest of political leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and widespread governmental crackdowns that are ongoing to this day.

In this maelstrom of unrest, a quiet night unfolds. Penned by Sydney playwright Katie Pollock, and directed by subtlenuance’s Paul Gilchrist, A Quiet Night in Rangoon is less about the political specifics, and more about the universal human stories that unfold in extreme circumstances.

“The story occurred during a historical time, that day [in September] when the army started firing at the monks,” says John Buencamino, who plays Micky, a young Burmese monk. His father took part in the 1988 revolutions and subsequently went missing. “But the play is not really about Burma. The audience isn’t expected to know a whole lot, and it’s not a history lesson in any way. It’s a personalised account of the people that are within it, and how their personal choices affect a larger political spectrum. It’s about the human relationships.”

The relationships are forged between an Australian journalist, Piper, a young double-dealing revolutionary called Kitty, an old-guard monk called Pluto and a major from the other side.

“They get together, values clash, chaos happens,” laughs Buencamino. Paternal issues are brought to the fore, as are questions of spiritual crises and moral conflicts. Not everything is as it seems. In a news-week dominated by scenes of riots and looting in England’s capital, the dilemmas the characters are faced with could easily take place on the quiet night streets of anywhere …

Aug 18-Sep 10, New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown, $25-30, 1300 306 776, mca-tix.com.au