Review: Damian Callinan’s ‘The Merger’ is humorous, charming and packed with heart
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23.04.2019

Review: Damian Callinan’s ‘The Merger’ is humorous, charming and packed with heart

The Sunday Age. M Section. Melbourne comic Damian Callinan who has written and features in a movie opening during the Melb Film Fest this year called The Merger.Pic Simon Schluter 23 July 2018.

★★★★

The Merger’s reputation has preceded it. Already a film, The Merger is also treading the boards and earning acclaim. Rightly so, too; The Merger is a story that comes with a cast of multi-layered characters and a story rich in tone, message and heart.

Introducing the crowd to the dejected Bodgy Creek Roosters Footy Club, The Merger’s stage is set. The backdrop of a regional football club and a diverse community of characters offered up a whole tree of winding narrative branches, but where The Merger shines is in its distilling of themes. In Callinan’s central character Troy Carrington, the audience can find familiarity and warmth; eccentric humour meets whipsmart writing that allows Callinan to switch characters without breaking pace.

Dealing with themes of toxic masculinity, racism, grief, immigration and the breaking down of Australia’s very present ‘boys club’ culture, The Merger envelops the audience instantly. Having already seen a screening of the film version of The Merger, I wasn’t sure how I would react to a live stage version. Truth is, I was as ensconced with watching the story unfold in front of me as I was with it onscreen.

The idea is simple. A failing footy club entering a new, more open-minded chapter, in the recruitment of refugees in the community, leads the wider community to also undergo a change of attitude and heart. The way it is delivered, however, is weighted with emotional depth and charm.

Callinan’s skill as a comic and an actor is front and centre here. A severely underrated creative, he shines as he switches character with deft skill. From Carrington, he dives into the personalities of others with great physicality and vim. His connection with the audience doesn’t falter either – the audience is made to feel part of the proceedings, less like props. The show has given Callinan the perfect platform to flex his muscle as a playwright and actor.

The concept that people are not what they seem, that preconceived ideas of people, their culture and their background aren’t necessarily the truth is tackled with skill. At no point is the crowd pandered to and at no point does it feel like the writing is propaganda. The Merger is, in a vacuum, the story of Australian culture as it unfolds today. Wherever we turn, we see confronting stories on the news, skewed stories that filter their way into our communities. How we deal with them is what dictates the way forward.

The Merger is gutsy, it is rooted in real social fears and insecurities but most of all, this is a production and a story that can be accessible for any audience to understand and take something away from.

Highlight: Most definitely the writing. Callinan is a master of his craft.

Lowlight: I can’t pick one, honestly. This is a highlight of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Crowd Favourite: Callinan’s Troy Carrington is a crowd favourite hands down. His journey marks a bright core of the show.