Presented by The Adelaide Repertory Theatre Society
Reviewed Thursday 17th November 2011
http://www.adelaiderep.com/current-season/100-lunches
Venue: ARTS Theatre, Angas Street, Adelaide
Season: 8pm Wed to Sat to Sat 26th November, 2pm Matinee Sat 26th November
Duration: 2hrs 30min incl interval
Tickets: adult $20/conc $15
Bookings: 8212 5777 or [email protected]
This is another of Jack Sharkey's (1931-1992) comedies, regular fare for amateur theatre companies, this one written with Leo W. Sears. He wrote specifically for amateur/community theatre companies and, like all of his works, it is lightweight, safe and inoffensive. In the early stages of his writing he tried to get his work produced on Broadway, but never made it.
Chuck Reynolds is a successful New York playwright who, in spite of his success and otherwise favourable reviews, seems to agonise over the consistently scathing reviews from one particular critic, the uncharitable, Charity Starr. He is a widower, living with his precocious son, Terry, whom you feel could well profit from an occasional clip around the ear, and a busybody housekeeper, Glinda Bellows. He also has a girlfriend of sorts, Yolanda, who turns up from time to time but whom he seems to be always trying to avoid.
Just after receiving yet another bad review from Starr, for his latest play, she turns up at his home and, with more front than a major seaside town, asks him to help her write a play. He finally agrees, on the basis that his tuition occurs over lunches, for which she will pay. They begin the 100 lunches of the title, taking turns to choose the venue. We join them on a number of these occasions. He goes for five star and she goes for the cheapest that she can find. The bills go to her employers.
At each venue they encounter a waiter, all of whom turn out to be members of the same family and also, one might think, American relations of Basil Fawlty, judging by how obnoxious they all are. Over the many lunches they grow closer together as her play takes shape. Finally, it is opening night, and she must face the audience and her fellow critics.
Director, Jude Hines, is handicapped somewhat by the rather dull and obvious script. It does not take long to see where the whole thing is going, but it takes a very long time getting there. The play has not aged well since it was written over two decades ago. A lack of pace on opening night, coupled with innumerable long set changes, did not help.
Rodney Hutton and Theresa Sugars are the central couple of this piece, giving fine performances as Chuck and Charity. Their professionalism and skills lift this production through some credible characterisations..
Benjamin Maio MacKay is energetic and enthusiastic as the son, Terry, and just needs to relax into the role a little. Myra Waddell gives another of her excellent characterisations as Glinda, her considerable experience showing in her believable characterisation, including having the most accurate of the accents. Joanna Patrick is given very little to work with in the script but, even so, does a creditable job in the role of the amorously inclined stalker, Yolanda.
The play has two distinct and contradictory stylistic approaches within it: the more naturalistic parts, that are set in Chuck's home, and the more ludicrous interludes in the restaurants. At times it almost feels like the aim is entirely to set up situations to enable one actor to show his skills in playing multiple outrageous characters, in the shape of the waiters.
This is where Barry Hill comes into his own. He plays all of the waiters, from the blood stained slob, at the bottom end of the market, to the snooty, Tuxedo clad snob at the top end, all of them unpleasant and unhelpful in their own way. Since Americans rely on tips to bring their poor wages up to a liveable level, these characters are highly unrealistic but, nonetheless, they are grist to Hill's comedic mill, and he doesn't miss a trick.
Ole Wiebkin's sets are impressive but the restaurant sets are over-designed, contributing to those long set changes. Less would have been more. Laraine Wheeler's lighting clearly moves us from Chuck's home to each of the diverse eateries and one suspects that her skills could have been enough to allow simpler sets and thus speed up the changes.
This is a pleasant enough evening out, which should improve with increased pace as the season progresses, and it offers some good performances that make it worth seeing, but is ultimately let down by the script.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide
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