Autism in the spotlight in Drizzle Boy

It was the Hollywood hit Rain Man that first shone a light on autism, now Queensland Theatre’s production Drizzle Boy is here to do that for a new generation.

Drizzle Boy

I hadn’t quite twigged as to why Queensland Theatre’s latest production was called Drizzle Boy. I knew it was about autism but not too far into Ryan Ennis’s engaging play the penny dropped. It dropped when Rain Man was mentioned. That 1988 Hollywood production starred Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man and it was a revelation to most of us.

Rain Man ...Drizzle Boy ... get it?

Dustin Hoffman in scene from film Rain Man

I did finally. And I was equal parts fascinated and entertained by this play which won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2022-23 for playwright Ryan Ennis.

I can’t imagine a more worthy winner. QT and Griffith University have partnered to produce this play which is nothing short of brilliant. It’s directed by Daniel Evans, a former winner of the Premier’s Drama Award himself.

Evans is a master and he has helped create what is one of the most engaging theatrical productions I have seen for a while.

Actually the night before Thursday’s opening night of Drizzle Boy I had seen another excellent local production, The Mystery of the Valkyrie over at QPAC.

Now we have another cracker on at the Bille Brown Theatre until March 25. Two in a row. Great work Brisbane.

A scene from Drizzle Boy.

Drizzle Boy debuts “Australia’s first ever neurodivergent character portrayed by a neurodivergent actor” according to QT and that’s interesting in itself.

It’s fascinating to learn more about autism through a play that doesn’t actually feel like a play, not in the traditional sense.

The characters wander on and off, the stage is really a big circular dance floor, there are lots of technical bells and whistles and the main character, Drizzler boy himself, played by Daniel R Nixon, talks to us at times.

So do some of the other characters and that makes it fun except when Baphomet, the scary creature of Drizzle Boy’s imagination tells us all to “get f--ked”, which he does a few times.

Nixon is utterly brilliant as Drizzle Boy.

This young man is a star, no doubt about it. He’s warm and funny and man he can even dance.

He is accompanied on a journey that takes a tad under two hours (no interval) by Naomi Price, who is, pardon the pun, priceless as his mum, his girlfriend and a couple of other characters to boot.

Then there’s Kevin Spink who plays his dad, Hans Asperger himself, and among others, the scary and foul mouthed Baphomet, inspired by something off a heavy metal CD cover.

Kevin Spink is hilarious as Drizzle Boy’s dad.

Kevin Spink very nearly steals the show at times with his comic brilliance and his hokey German accent.

Of course he has a killer script to work with and he unselfconsciously milks his roles for all they are worth.

His comic turn as Drizzle Boy’s dad is both hilarious and poignant and that pretty well goes for the whole show.

It’s a biting satire blending magical realism with a Kafkaesque journey of self-discovery and along the way audiences are invited into Drizzle Boy’s imaginative psychological space meeting a number of his heroes including the first woman in space Valentina Tershkova (Price). Drizzle Boy is obsessed with space you see.

Then there’s that scary goat-headed demon Baphomet (Spink), another expression of his internal world.

In the words of the playwright himself ...“Drizzle Boy is a classic coming of age story dealing with themes of hope, fear, love and independence, but it‘s from the perspective of a neurodivergent person, which is something that I’ve never seen before.

Playwright Ryan Ennis

“It feels almost indescribable to be putting out this play. I was diagnosed as autistic when I was nineteen years old and looking back prior to that moment; I had never seen myself or someone like me on stage, or screen or in film.”

Well except for Rain Man. Maybe.

It’s serious stuff on the one hand by Ryan Ennis who has made it so funny and there are just so many killer lines. Here’s one - spoiler alert.

“Anthony Hopkins is autistic? I thought he was Welsh.” Boom boom.

queenslandtheatre.com.au