Presented by Galleon Theatre Group
Reviewed 7th April, 2022
The warning’s on the tin. There’s a lot of kissing in this show. But this is not a rom-com. Nor is it a farce. It’s a show about actors, truth and craft. Written by American playwright Sarah Ruhl (she of In the Next Room; or The Vibrator Play) it was first performed in Chicago in 2011. There are theatrical tropes, stage terminology, many genres (including romantic comedy, farce, mannered 1930’s melodrama, an ill-conceived contemporary New York drama, and even shreds of sung music), three states for the set, and a multiplicity of roles for most actors. It’s as if Ruhl wanted to create a vehicle in which actors could display as many characters, accents and styles as possible. Narrative comes off a badly bruised second to bravura.
Director Sally Putnam bravely marshals a strong troupe of performers. The collective wisdom, insight and experience of Putnam and her cast manage to make some sense – and much entertainment – from this overstuffed script. Tonight’s audience laughed a lot.
I will not bore you with an overview of timelines and plays within plays. Suffice it to say that the two main actors (imaginatively named “He” and “She”) play actors. The show opens with an audition scene, then into rehearsals, for the remount of a creaky old 1930’s musical melodrama. It’s corny, poorly written and acted with histrionic energy and a fine disregard for sincerity. Just right! For our actors (“He” and “She”, see above) are merely acting in this melodrama. They are ex-lovers who must, for the purposes of this schlock, kiss frequently and declare undying love fifteen years after their acrimonious breakup. ‘He” is played by Andrew Clark. His character is American; the characters he plays as “He” are upper-crust Englishman and IRA terrorist. Clark adopts the lazy authority of your old-school Leading Man. His accent work is mostly fine, and he brings reliability and confidence to his roles. For this, his fellow actors must bless him. “She”, another American actor, is played by Anita Zamberlan Canala, Her characters in the two plays-within-a-play are British aristocrat and Brooklyn hooker. Zamberlan Canala is a thorough and careful actor whose accents are as secure as her intentions. She’s clear and capable all night, come what may.
The role of Director, Adrian Schwalbach, as played by lanky Adrian Heness, has all the desperate bouncy-puppy energy of a first-time director. He cannot fathom why anyone would care about anything other than the play he is directing. Heness is the only performer in the cast who only uses his standard (educated Australian) accent. He doesn’t double up on roles. His Schwalbach is a daddy-long-legs crackling with kinetic energy; hunched, then restlessly gesturing, pacing and goading. This is a memorably manic performance which helps power everyone on stage.
Scott Battersby manages both of his roles (Husband and Harrison) with efficient charm. He never does too much (and that’s high praise in a melodrama). However, the scene he has with Zamberlan Canala at the very end of the play is remarkable. His work with her is outstanding for its clarity, sincerity and truth.
Enthusiastic Anthony Vawser’s character list (Kevin/Butler/Doctor/Pimp) keeps him busy; he does a lot of good comic foil work throughout the piece, with laughter his frequent reward. Samara Gambling (Millicent/Laurie) brings effective performances of two vastly different characters, while Grainne O’Connell, given three different characters to portray (Angela/Maid/Millie), manages to inject memorable humour into each.
Set design works well (especially the tarted-up 30’s set), lighting design (James Allenby) is well-planned, delivering energy to the performance. Costuming (Tricia Graham) is carefully co-ordinated and appropriate. Overall, Putnam’s direction is thoughtful and intelligent. However, once the second act was under way, I sensed that faint wetly smacking sound which tells us that sharks are being jumped.
Theatre people will especially enjoy this play because of its insights into the world of the actor and the theatre-maker. I think that those theatre folks would join me in applauding everyone (cast, crew and creatives) who worked so hard to make an entertaining narrative out of Ruhl’s relentlessly jam-packed text.
Reviewed by Pat. H. Wilson
Venue: Domain Theatre, Marion Cultural Centre
Season: 30th March – 9th April, 2022
Duration: 2.25 hours (incl. interval)
Tickets: $27:00 (conc. $23:00)
Booking: Phone 8375 6855 or www.galleon.org.au
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