Set entirely in an office (with a brilliant and nuanced set design by Rachel Stone), six colleagues devise a plan to win the lottery. Laced with slapstick humour and overstated physicality, ‘Windfall’ creates an exaggerated take on the trials and tribulations of office life.
The first act consists of establishing the world of ‘Windfall’, as we get to know each character and the stereotype they fall into. Galvan (Gabriel Paul), an evangelical Christian who is fixated on winning the lottery and religiously abiding by the ’visions’ he experiences. Kate (Judith Amsenga), the office manager whose age and physical attributes are often mentioned by her peers. Chris (Wesley Griffith), who plays the office idiot, parading around with a guitar he inherited from his father and never fails to be late. Hannah (Audrey Anderson) is the overdramatic, younger colleague who finds herself trapped in an unhappy marriage. Jacqueline (Joanna Clifton) the new hire at the firm who comes across as cold and arrogant, and is instantly disliked by the rest of the office. And finally, Glenn (Jack Bennett) who plays the vicious and unbearable boss, who intimidates the office with threats that are surely bound to be illegal.
Galvan finds himself devoted to a vision of the office winning the lottery together; summing a grand total of a $500 million jackpot. Galvan does everything in his power to convince the office to spend $911 each on lottery tickets… and succeeds. What happens next comes as a genuine shock to the audience, as the characters all find themselves tapping into a sudden violent side of themselves as they all lose trust for each other. A bedlam of gore ensues, as the colleagues use brutality on each character to find the winning ticket. Mark Bell’s direction perfectly compliments Dave Nolan’s stately fight choreography, as the violence appears impressively real.
‘Windfall’ is a show that explores the perils of greed and pointedly displays the madness that ensues when millions of dollars are on the line. As Mark Bell quotes, ‘enjoy the violence’.
It runs until 11 March.
Photo: Pamela Raith