In Operation Boomerang, Nana (played by WA theatre legend and Noongar Elder Dr Lynette Narkle) is confined to a wheelchair and living at a bland old people’s home. She yearns to return to her ancestors’ homelands.

She tricks her adult grandchildren Sarah (Ebony McGuire), Josh (Owen Hasluck) and son Bob (Wimiya Woodley) into helping her, but her secret plan to take with her with enough sedatives to end her life is no sooner revealed than the responsible member of the family, Jean (Bobbi Henry) arrives, resulting in a back and forth discussion about family, Country, and ending one’s life.

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company’s Operation Boomerang. Photo © Duncan Wright

Act I is set in the rest home, and is played almost as a bedroom farce, complete with jokes about opening the door onto one of the cast about to find out the shonky plans of the rest – a blithely unaware Henry who soon cottons on that something is going on.

Narkle gives knowing winks and has a sparkle in the eye, and the best moments are when she spreads her arms wide to express her uncontainable energy and humour, though on...