REVIEW: Toy Symphony

There is something fascinating about a play that asks us to look backwards. Not in a nostalgic sense. Not in a "weren't things better then?" sense. But in that uncomfortable way where we are forced to confront the child we once were and wonder how much of them still exists within us.

Michael Gow's Toy Symphony does exactly that. And yes, before you ask, it is worth the trek out to Sutherland.

Returning to the Sutherland Shire that inspired much of the work, and directed by Gow himself, the play follows writer Roland Henning as he grapples with creative paralysis, childhood memories and the strange ways our past continues to shape us long after we think we have moved on.

I found myself wondering whether a writer is the best person to direct their own work. It must be difficult when you are that close to the material. Every line, every memory, every intention carries weight. Distance can be a gift in the rehearsal room. And yet perhaps that closeness is exactly what makes this production work.

There is an intimacy to Toy Symphony that feels difficult to fake. The play never feels like it is being interpreted from the outside. Instead, it feels as though Gow is inviting audiences into the strange landscape of memory, creativity and self-doubt that inspired it in the first place. The beauty of Toy Symphony is that it refuses to separate reality from imagination. Memories drift in and out of the present. Childhood fears become larger than life. Moments that may seem insignificant to one person become defining to another. It captures something many of us know to be true: we never entirely leave our younger selves behind.

What struck me most about the play is how universal it feels despite being deeply personal. While Roland is a writer, this is not really a story about writing. It is a story about identity. About confidence. About the stories we tell ourselves. About the moments from childhood that somehow continue to echo through adulthood.

There is plenty of humour here too. Gows writing has always had a wonderful ability to find

warmth in awkwardness and tenderness in vulnerability. Just when the play threatens to become too introspective, a moment of wit arrives to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Nearly twenty years after its premiere, Toy Symphony still feels remarkably relevant. Perhaps even more so now. In a world that constantly asks us to move faster, achieve more and reinvent ourselves at every opportunity, there is something refreshing about a work that encourages reflection instead.

It asks us to consider who we were. Who we became. And whether those two people are really as different as we imagine.

At its heart, Toy Symphony is a meditation on memory, creativity and the curious, often messy process of growing up. It is thoughtful, moving and quietly profound, reminding us that the child we once were is never quite as far away as we think.

4 out of 5 Stars