Theatre: 10,000 Beers

By Alex Broun
Directed by Sussanah Thompson
Featuring Andrew Southern, James Porter, Joel Sammels and Paul Grabovic
PICA until Feb 1

This play about blokes who play football tells an authentic, convincing sporting story without a ball in sight. Well, not a football, at least (full-frontal nudity, adult language and themes warnings apply).
The 27 players from the Port Hedland Pirates are down in Perth for their end-of-season mad weekend. Their mission – to down 10,000 beers.
There is a stupendous bar crawl (it’s not a bad beginner’s guide to the watering holes of Perth and Freo), there is chundering, there are fights, there are the inevitable slobbering home truths. But there are also solidly drawn personalities and nuanced relationships, and a convincing transposition of the qualities and shortcomings the Pirates display on the field to their lives.
It’s fair to say that Broun and Thompson shy away from really exploring the darker side of these colossally male pursuits, but that would make 10,000 Beers a different play.
It would be hard, though, to make it more satisfying, insightful and entertaining than it already is. 


Link here to the complete review in The West Australian