The Maintenance Room - Review

Reviewed by Regi Su
From the 7th until the 30th of November, King Street Theatre presents “The Maintenance Room”, a play of existential proportions. Written by Gerry Greenland and Directed by Allan Walpole, this play was clever, enticing and I walked away feeling very satisfied.

The premise: a businessman is unhappy with his current situation and when just about to make a serious life decision, he chances upon a man who brings new perspective and excitement. It’s a very interesting theme on which to base a play off. I loved it, every minute of it and by that I was pleasantly surprised. It touched on Jungian themes and dallied them a little, it touched on the deep and existential, then diverted to quick wit and humour. It used conventional narrative techniques like dramatic irony and although there were only two characters, they took on more personas and let the audience engage with their imaginations. The set was elaborate and yet so very appropriate and the design, sound design and lighting was perfect. All of these basic elements of theatre were employed and it came together as a very well-polished play.

The release of information was timely in that in a picaresque fashion, the information prompted in me questions, which they then answered. I was hooked along the general narrative structure, it was absorbing. The characterisation was refreshingly consistent. There were a number of plot twists and at each turn, I felt comfortable to go there with the character. They were believable because they were authentic and commendations are in order for Kim Knuckey and Lynden Jones for their tremendous and powerful performances, holding a very long two-man play. The climaxes were well-identified and isolated and the resolution was justifiably understandable; I felt confident in the actions of the characters and the hands of the playwright. I didn’t care about the characters as suchI wasn’t emotionally invested but, I was connected to them just enough to be concerned and that’s all you need for audience engagement.

The themes make this play more than just any old play, the themes make it accessible- to be played by anyone, of any calibre or any gender. The play was timeless in it’s exploration of issues like personal betrayal, the importance of reputation, money matters or life in general. It was just a very satisfying night, and I felt that some of the minor character details were congruent enough for me to have a feasible holistic image in my head; for example one character mentions a spiritual journey to The East, but we’re already open to it because we saw him wear a sarung earlier and we’re primed by postcards of the Taj Mahal in the background. The whole production was very clever and a good night of theatre.

Daisy Pulls It Off - Review

Reviewed by Regi Su

Just a short walk from Town Hall is a quaint little church, a late nineteenth century sandstone chapel which upon first appearance, is nothing less. That is, until you walk inside where lo and behold, you’ve stepped into the arms of a small but grand theatre. The stage is rustic, the auditorium seats are deep red and the whole theatre experience is intimate and homely. The Genesian Theatre has been so since 1954. From the 18th of October until the 16th of November, the Genesian Theatre hosts the play “Daisy Pulls It Off”.

When reading the synopsis, I gathered the preconception that this play would be not unlike “St Trinians”; the coming-of-age story following a middle class school girl in her plight to make a name and prove her worth as scholarship winner at Grangewood School for Girls. The play is archetypal in the sense that it’s set in a British boarding school, the plots are foreseeable and it covers Dickensian themes, like the importance of blood or good heritage. The story itself was not necessarily original.

In saying this, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the way The Genesian produced this play. I’d like to give credit to either the playwright, Denise Deegan, or the director, Mark Langham, for their excellent stage directions and comic timing. I believe it would be very difficult to script or direct helter-skelter comic timing. The play was very well choreographed and teetered on the edge of satire in sending itself up.

It did so only because each of the actors gave more than 100% effort to their roles, the passion really shone from each of them. It was because they played their characters with great conviction and overwhelming confidence that I began to laugh along with the outrageous shenanigans of the plot. Rather than taking themselves too seriously, the whole production was rather relaxed and this made me, as an audience member, quite comfortable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the production. The set design and props were highly appropriate. More so in the second half than the first, I found myself appreciating the clever and sparing use of such props. I’d like to commend all the cast members on their tremendous effort in holding together such a long play with quick wit, fast dialogue and effortless British-isms, as well as their ensemble performance as a whole.

Lastly, a quick side note of admiration for La Kutchina, a nearby café/restaurant. I had wandered up to The Genesian a little too early and needed somewhere to hide away out of the bitter wind for a while. La Kutchina opened its doors with warm hospitality, excellent coffee at a good price and complimentary homemade shortbread. Sitting in their deep arm chairs, I felt welcomed and not a pest at having to bide my time before the theatre opened. I would definitely return to try one of their main meals before a show at The Genesian.

The audience roared with laughter in all the appropriate times of “Daisy Pulls It Off” and I feel that audience enjoyment and engagement is paramount to the success of a performance. There weren’t as many in the audience as I hoped there’d be and I’d like to see more people appreciate this amateur theatre in their future productions.

CAMP - Review

'CAMP' AT THE ENSEMBLE
Reviewed by Regi Su

From the 19th of September, The Ensemble, Kirribilli hosts “Camp”, a crazy comedy following the antics of a group of families on their Boxing Day camping holiday. Each family is dysfunctional in their own right, so spending time trapped in a communal camping ground is the perfect place to set a comedy, while magnifying some of the more relevant human experiences.

In hindsight, the plot isn’t outlandishly unique and the character development, conflict, climax and resolution are all evident as a formulaic stage text. However what makes this play very clever is the fact that playwright Gary Baxter has managed to flawlessly script chaos, which is a very difficult thing to accomplish. His dialogue is balanced, heavy with implied humour, satire and the taste of the production is inherently Australian, which in my opinion is rather refreshing.

To further the success of this production, Baxter’s heavy chaos wouldn’t have been possible without the passionate dedication of such a high calibre cast under the great direction of Mark Kilmurry. The dynamics of the cast were perfect, their power was raw when necessary and they had total believability when performing their roles- I believed they were who they said they were and I believed we were at a campsite in the sweltering heat. I thought the actors and the script were very crafty in being able to highlight small idiosyncrasies and heighten character and nuance, and these are indicative of great theatre because for that moment, as you sit in the dark, you leave your own world behind and escape for a while.

The play didn’t need your involvement, it didn’t ask you to decode or work for anything. As the audience, you were only asked to be open to the journey ahead. There were people who roared with laughter and people who sat horrified at the sickening reality of campsite claustrophobia. For some, well for me at least, the play came a little too close to home in their portrayal of the typical Australian camping experience.

In terms of production, The Ensemble delights me every time. The set was perfect, astro-turf, washing line, doggy-poop and all. Their attention to detail in the prop and lighting department really authenticates the play. I’d also like to mention that there was a mix-up at the Box office and the office staff were more than helpful with my tickets. “Camp” is a play that is fun, relative to our own experiences, as happy campers, or even just as Australians. It’s a nice break from reality for two hours and it’s well-executed, light-hearted fun.

Seminar - Review

Seminar by Theresa Rebeck
The Ensemble

Reviewed by Regi Su

(photo by Steve Lunam)
From August 15th until September 14th, The Ensemble presents the Australian Premiere of “Seminar”; play by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Anna Crawford.

I thought it was a brilliant play, but that’s because it resounded with me. In the words of the director herself, the play “reminded me what writers actually do for society- the fact that everything they write comes straight form their heart and they’re serving it up for us to be praised or ripped to shreds.” Featuring four aspiring and ambitious young writers, the play follows their journey as they embark on a term of seminars with a successful veteran writer who critiques their works and souls. I, myself, am an aspiring young writer, so I understood their jokes and frustrations. The play really connected with me and embarrassingly, I saw too much of myself in a number of the characters.

I do acknowledge, however, that the majority of the audience may not have been the target audience, so I heard many mixed reviews while coming out of the theatre. There were many laughs, but not all audience members responded in the same places, so I tend to think that not everyone received the same jokes or came to the same understandings.

In my opinion, the play was slick, witty, smart, dark and a very interesting insight into the bowels if the creative industry- I expect the complications they encountered may not be specific to the writers but also relevant to musicians, artists and the like. I feel that the target audience may have been geared more toward young people, especially as the play presses buttons like Hopes and Dreams. With this in mind, I highly recommend seeing this play. I’m glad I did, I loved it. While I think people should see it, I understand that not everyone will necessarily appreciate it.

The character development was very much focused on learning about the motivations and background of each of the four writers, compared with the harsh reality that a veteran writer was presenting. The actors were absolutely fantastic. They played characters who must have been incredibly taxing, for an hour and a half straight. Their characters were powerfully intense, cynical, passionate for their cause, intelligent and very raw with their emotions, as most in the creative industry are. Their portrayals of these characters breathed life into dialogue and gave believability to their stories. For example, as the play opened, I heard the American accents (as the play is set in New York) and I sighed; “my, not another phoney US play” but the actors slipped into the mood, gathered momentum and soon after, we forgot about their accents and we listened to their despair, mourned their heartbreaks and condemned their compromises when yearning to achieve their ambitions. The accents didn’t jar and did detract from portraying meaning. Due credit must be given to Natasha McNamara as dialect coach on this production.

The set was adaptable, the lighting was perfect and the scene changes seamless. I can’t stress how difficult it is to produce a play set in the same apartment for the duration of the play and keep the audience involved. They achieved so with a very dialogue heavy script and intense conflicts, so the set became secondary. Nonetheless, the Ensemble never ceases to amaze me in their set design and ability to utilise and maximise space.

For more information, please visit: http://ensemble.com.au/whats-on/play/seminar/

The Merchant of Venice - Review

Reviewed by Marie Su  

The Tap Gallery Theatre in Darlinghurst is ticked away in Palmer Street in an old building with an interior bohemian ambience. The Tap Theatre itself is an intimate venue however, in this production of Sydney Shakespeare Company’s “The Merchant of Venice”, the sets and stage proved both versatile and capacious when used by the actors.

Sydney Shakespeare Company highlighted the theme of Revenge in this play, but there was also a strong emotional thread concerning the idea of just how far would a man go for his friend. Antonio, played with passion by Anthony Campenella, is the merchant of Venice, who risks all to enable his good friend Bassanio (Alex Nicholas) to marry the girl of his dreams, Portia (Lizzie Schebesta). The problems arise when Antonio borrows money from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Mark Lee) and then, due to the vagaries of maritime trading, finds he cannot repay the 3,000 ducats lent in the agreed time frame. Antonio must pay the forfeit a pound of his flesh nearest his heart. The debt and forfeit had been agreed to in a legally binding contract so, Antonio’s life, Shylock’s revenge and Bassanio’s debt all teeter on the legal skill and persuasive logic of Portia, disguised as Antonio’s defence lawyer.

There are at least three of Shakespeare’s best known speeches in this play and Mark Lee (Shylock) and Lizzie Schebesta (Portia) conveyed them with well paced, accessibility and with well defined humanity. Mark Lee sensitively drew us in to the world of the outsider, who makes his way and lives with his mistakes. This is why Shakespeare’s work survives, because he is writing about us. Shylock tells of victimisation, the need to retaliate, while Portia tells of the need to find justice which is tempered with mercy. All the characters act out the need to find love, appreciation and gratitude from people they care about.

This production had some intense emotionally charged exchanges, especially after the intermission. The interval was 15 minutes in a play run between 8-10.30pm. However, Steven Hopley, a capable producer and director, did not let us forget that this was one of Shakespeare’s comedies. The romantic love of Jessica (Renaye Loryman) and Lorenzo (Richard Hilliar) was cute and smooch which juxtaposed to their tenuous position as Christian/Jewish runaways. There was intense ardour in Bassanio’s love for Portia. While Portia had a playful, yet respectful understanding that the complex situations Bassanio found himself in were due to his feelings of loyalty. Schebesta delivered her lines with measured banter and knowing undercurrents which gave the resolution of the play a satisfying conclusion for the audience.

The other romantic pair, Nerissa (Rosanna Easton) and Gratiano (Craig Annis) who were servants to Portia and bassanio respectively, provided good contrast to their masters. These more overt characterisations provided the light and shade which helped the audiences focus on the serious issues at stake. Yet we were allowed to see the fun of disguised identities being revealed, princely suitors presenting themselves to exaggerated effect, as well as the foibles of old age and difficult child/parent relationships.

The Sydney Shakespeare Company has used modern technology in props, contemporary costuming, well placed lighting and professional actors, all of whom have portrayed “The Merchant of Venice” in a way that those with or without previous Shakespearean experience can understand and enjoy at a good value ticket price at a venue that is accessible to public transport. It is showing from the 7th until the 24th of August.