Toyer

This shall read as a Public Service Announcement: never open the door to a stranger late at night, no matter how harmless they appear, because the consequences are usually dire, and deadly. Toyer, North of Eight’s second production for 2017, plays on the collective panic surrounding ‘Stranger Danger’ and turns it into one of the most thrilling, dark and twisted productions to date.

Playing at The Courthouse Hotel in North Melbourne till Saturday, 13 May, Toyer focuses on Maude Christopher (Faran Martin) – a commended clinical psychiatrist – and the harrowing ordeal she faced. The act opens with Maude arriving home after a long day of work and tennis, and tries to unwind with soothing tunes and a relaxing shower. Her plans go awry when a persistent stranger knocks on her door using any excuse to be welcomed in her apartment. Once inside, Peter (Kashmir Sinnamon) makes himself at home – making phone calls, boiling water for tea, asking a flurry of questions – and it becomes clear that he has no intention of leaving.

On guard from her close involvement with victims of Toyer – an unknown assailant performing spinal lobotomies on women, rendering them completely paralysed – and a local Peeping Tom watching her at night, Maude uses her logic, intelligence, and expertise to deal with Peter. Nothing works and as their interaction progresses, Peter makes creepier statements about her life and eventually drops a bombshell: he is the Toyer.

But is he?

The Australian premiere of Gardner McKay’s play is a psychological mire of epic proportions. Full of twists and turns, much praise goes to Martin and Sinnamon’s tremendous on-stage energy. Sinnamon’s ability to morph from jovial actor to sadistic psychopath is amazing to watch, especially his chilling delivery of turning his victims into ‘pretty pale flowers’. The intimate venue amps up the realism and gives you a close-up view of the psychological, and at times, physical conflict on the stage. Although the story is set in Hollywood, certain dialogue choices were jarring, especially when cricket was a topic of conversation.

Toyer is a study of the empowerment of women, the underlying fear that exists in a community, and when pushed, the lengths one goes to survive. McKay believes the play makes a statement on our ability to ‘absorb mindless horror’ and our knowledge that ‘they happen, that we know about them and turn the page’. Come down to The Courthouse and make up your own mind!

Toyer
The Courthouse Hotel, 86–90 Errol Street, North Melbourne
Wednesday, 26 April to Saturday, 13 May
northofeight.com.au