Playwright: James Gaddas
Company: Budinski's Theatre of Exile
Performer: Robert Morgan
Venue: 386-388 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (upstairs at Toucanos), until April 20
Bookings: 419 3993
Synopsis: a boxer juts through heartbreak and horror.
Rating: *****
Shadowboxing is a knockout punch of raw theatrical energy - a perfect showcase for the talents of its remarkable one-man cast, Robert Morgan.
The play is performed in an intimate venue above a cafe. The stage is bare apart from a red punching bag hanging from the ceiling and a water bucket.
Morgan was an amateur champion boxer before becoming an actor. There is plenty of evidence of that as he ducks and weaves through the intense script by James Gaddas.
Morgan's physical routine as he spits out his meanderingly moody lines is devastating. He skips at frenzied pace, throws an ongoing clutch of killer punches and ripples with almost demonic energy.
You'll be exhausted by the end - although this is not a long play.
The boxer character Gaddas creates is no stereotype - however it would slam's this play's V12 textual engine into reverse gear during full forward throttle to reveal the boxer's secret here.
Suffice to say, opponents in the ring are not this man's only problem. He must also take on cruel social prejudice - and the fight is just as bloody.
Morgan's remarkable performance is made the more powerful by the magical directing skills of Bruce Myles.
All up, this is a knockout which will rivet both theatre buff and sports fan alike.