Presented by IKAG Productions
Reviewed 15 November 2017
Nocturne, by Adam Rapp, is set in an average 1980s American suburb where a horrific tragedy destroys a young man’s family and shatters their carefully crafted façade of middle-class perfection, leading to years of unresolved pain and guilt.
At 17, the young, un-named protagonist of Nocturne accidentally kills his nine-year-old sister in the most horrific way. As he and his parents reel from the shock death, emotional cracks lead to a complete breakdown of their family. After his father holds a gun in his son’s mouth, the show’s protagonist escapes his suburban nightmare and re-settles in New York where he finds meagre work in a local book shop.
Fifteen years later, though, he is still struggling to move on with his life, and his ever-increasing collection of classic novels by the greats provides his sole refuge from his unrelenting grief and guilt. Somewhat inspired by these writers, he starts to write his own novel about a young man who accidentally decapitates his sister with a ’69 Buick Electra and the aftermath it creates within the remaining family members. When his father contacts him after years of little-to-no association, he is presented with a chance for redemption, but, that’s only if he chooses to take it.
Within Nocturne’s tortured emotional relationships, the language is utterly entrancing in its deeply detailed descriptions, often using comparisons to paint a colourful picture, such as likening pumping a broken brake pedal to pumping a baloney sandwich, and street lights appearing to sway in the street as though they are bored. This richly visual language helps vividly bring to life the many events of personal suffering that the protagonist recounts to the audience.
The set is simple, with only a red couch, an empty side stand, an old typewriter and a wooden coffee table covered in piles upon piles of classic books. This simplicity allows for a base with which the actor can interact with as much or as little as he likes, allowing the dialogue to be the main focus of the audience’s attention.
There is so much potential for this to be an incredibly powerful one-man performance, but unfortunately it misses the mark. Actor and director, Tom Gentry, has bravely taken on the role of the tortured son, but unfortunately struggles with maintaining a commanding stage-presence. Although his memory of almost an hour and a half of script is fantastically impressive, and there is praise for his ability to hold a believable American accent consistently throughout the performance, Gentry falters in commanding the audience’s attention. For parts of the show he is somewhat inaudible and also loses his projection while interacting with one of the books on stage. These, though, could be due to opening night nerves, and the fact that Gentry was not feeling 100% well on the night. Nocturne may have benefitted from Gentry taking on the acting role alone, and allowing a director to add an alternative interpretation of how best to present the play.
This production has huge potential to be a really spectacular experience for the audience, and Gentry is close to achieving a high standard of acting. Hopefully, if he is feeling better and opening-night nerves have started to ease, Nocturne will become a knockout performance that will captivate audiences with its dramatic storyline.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide, 5000
Season: 15 – 25 November
Duration: 90 minutes (10 min intermission)
Tickets: $28 – $33
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=317754
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