Review: Little Black Bastard, The Noel Tovey Story – Sir John Mills Theatre

Childhood is supposed to be the happiest times of our lives. These formative years also shape the person we become in later life. Given the hardship and abuse suffered by Noel Tovey as a young child, it is surprising he’s here at all to tell his remarkable life story at the age of 77. That he has carved out an international career as a successful dancer, actor and choreographer is testament to the strength of personality Tovey possesses.

Growing up poor, Aboriginal and gay in 1940s Australia, Noel was always going to face an uphill battle. Add in years of sexual abuse from his uncle, adopted father and officials, sleeping rough, turning to prostitution at 13, and it is easy to understand why the young lad considered suicide in a prison cell at the age of 17.

Born illegitimately into a poverty-stricken household in Melbourne, Noel never knew his father, and began a trail of being passed between various relatives and institutions. At the age of four, he began to be abused by his uncle, a cycle of abuse that continued through various so-called carers throughout his childhood. At the age of six he was fostered into the care of a farmer who regularly raped him on trains to Sydney. At the age of 13 he was working as a rentboy on the streets of Melbourne and, at 17, he was imprisoned for ‘the abominable crime of buggery’. It was in the depths of despair in this prison cell that Tovey made a life-changing decision and jettisoned his destructive childhood in favour of hope.

It would be hard to write such a moving and tragic tale of childhood but, what makes Tovey’s rendition so emotionally charged is that it is his true story. The oration is so personal, so heartfelt, that it is often nearly too painful to watch .While there is a sense of understandable anger at the institutionalised neglect and racism by the State and a clear contempt for his abusers, there is no sense of self pity here. Tovey tempers his anger with the childhood naivety he felt at the time. The harrowing testimony of his abuse is still obviously an understandably painful process for Tovey but his performance never shies away from the horror and hurt.

Staged against a simple backdrop of pictures from his life, Tovey’s mesmerising performance holds attention through and, by the end, it feels like we have spend one hour forty minutes in the company of a long lost friend.

Performed as part of the Border Crossing Origins Festival, and appearing at Eastern Angles Sir John Mills Theatre, this is a rare treat.

Noel Tovey has certainly had a remarkable life and, while his harrowing account may be painful to watch, one can only applaud the man who overcame such adversity and has the courage to stand up now to try and ensure such horrors are no longer hidden behind bureaucratic red tape. A truly remarkable performance from a truly remarkable man.