Two Brothers

Red Phoenix Theatre. Holden Street Theatres. 18 May 2017

 

This is what theatre is all about.

What a gripping and rewarding night. What wonderful performances. How fast time can fly.

 

Playwright Hannie Rayson has dipped into the well of political ambition, scandal and dissent which surrounds us and splashed it all over the stage in a wild, gladiatorial drama lit by moments of humour.

 

“Eggs" Benedict is a ruthlessly ambitious conservative Minister for Home Security, voraciously assembling the numbers to get himself elected party leader and Prime Minister of Australia. His brother Tom is a leading human rights advocate and lawyer for refugees. They are opposite political polarities but they also are family who spend Christmas and other holidays together, who share powerful childhood memories, and who have argued politics since they were lads. Hence, Rayson has made this a play about blood: shared blood, bad blood and shed blood.

 

From its dark and murderous opening moment, Red Phoenix Theatre’s South Australian premiere production has the audience in its thrall.

 

Brant Eustice’s intensity of emotional desperation is utterly credible, as is the ensuing two hours of his performance as James “Eggs” Benedict. 

 

The play’s opening is a swift and breathtaking flash forward.

Then characters are presented and the theme is set. Players stand formally downstage, extrapolating upon their contrasting politics, from the devious strategies of Eggs to the brave refugee advocacy of his brother. Eggs' wife, Fiona provides taut role-play in good cause while Tom’s wife, Angela, reads a roll call of the multicultural names which make up a modern Australian school playground.

 

Their differences play out at family gatherings, compounded by the scars of family tragedies such as the death by drug overdose of one of Eggs' sons. Both brothers have living sons whose troubles work their way to the surface as the play progresses. One is in the Navy which is complicit in refugee drownings at sea. His long-haired outsider cousin is living above his means in an insecure job economy.

 

A second narrative and human thread evolves with the introduction of the lone Iraqi survivor of a mass refugee drowning. He is championed by Tom and welcomed by his family but reviled by Eggs who promotes adamant anti-illegal-refugee policies.

 

The brothers lead double lives: one the intimacy of their blood ties and the other their often bitter opposition in the political arena. Both are successful in their spheres. Rayson writes their predicament as a stunning ambivalence; how different siblings can be and yet remain deeply bonded. Their wives amplify these distinctions.

 

This array of characters feels familiar. They are superbly wrought, even the Minister’s controlling secretary, Jamie Savage, who is played by Alicia Jaye with icy vamp-like ruthlessness in devilish parody of Peta Credlin.

 

Media events are mounted here and there via a platform and a large rectangular frame mid-stage. Otherwise the set is dominated by a large picnic table and Weber kettle BBQ for family and a bar for the politician’s office. A waitress holding a tray of drinks stands around like a piece of furniture. The cast remains onstage throughout the play with a rack of clothes on hand for costume changes. It is not a beautiful set but it is effective and well lit.

 

The impact of this splendid play is delivered not only through what is clearly the highly perspicacious direction of Robert Kimber but through some of the best acting this city has seen in a long time.

 

Having genuine brothers in the principal roles is gift enough but having the well-honed and lifelong skills of the Eustice brothers is supreme.  Their interactions, their sense of fun, their sense of grievance, and their overriding bond shines as a remarkable beacon of authenticity. If there is a competition, as of course there always must be, it is Brant as the pathologically narcissistic Trumpesque politician who nips it with his extraordinary depths of nasty nuance.  He devours the stage in this mighty performance of loathsomeness.  Brother Michael, on the other hand, wins hearts and minds as the conscience of the country, a good man and true, a loser.

 

The supporting actors rise to the standard of this production. Fahad Farooque is a splendid and convincing presence as the refugee, Hazem, while Joshua Coldwell as Eggs' son delivers with impressive profundity the moral dilemma of the young man caught between lies and truth. Joshua Mensch as Tom’s boy truly saddens as victim and scapegoat. Lyn Wilson and Tracey Walker give wise, mature and compelling performances as the two wives while Cheryl Douglas smiles in beguiling passivity as the waitress and throws in the odd link as a media or factotum.

 

Two Brothers is a play for our times.

 

It exposes the raw underbelly of the world of current politics, a reality which seems out of control. The game of values which is playing out in this new era of potent conservative adamance is not for sissies. Rayson’s play is billed as a “thrilling tale of power and evil” and in the skilled hands of Red Phoenix Theatre it surely is.

 

For heaven’s sake, don’t miss it.

 

Samela Harris

 

When: 18 to 27 May

Where: Holden Street Theatres – The Studio

Bookings: holdenstreettheatres.com or 8255 8888

1984

By George Orwell. New adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. Ambassador Theatre Group, GWB Entertainment & State Theatre Company South Australia present the Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse & Almeida Theatre production. 16 May 2017

 

The much anticipated stage adaptation of cult science fiction novel 1984, which – along with Animal Farm – brought George Orwell worldwide fame, finally opens at Her Majesty’s theatre. The auditorium is packed to overflowing, and there’s an air of excitement.

 

The book has found new meaning of late with the ascension of Donald Trump to the United States Presidency and all of his posturing about fake news and attempts to shut down institutions that independently manage the national interest, to better serve his own. But it is nothing on the levels reached in Orwell’s 1984.

 

The device for the translation of Orwell’s novel to the stage is very clever. Adaptors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan have read beyond the novel and taken deeper meaning from the contents found in Orwell’s appendix, where he outlines the principles of Newspeak. Working under the assumption that this information could only have been completed in or around the year 2050 when Newspeak was predicted for completion, they have subsequently cast the vantage point of Winston and his experiences into the past.

 

As such, Icke and Macmillan’s protagonist experiences, and enacts, Smith’s story from 100 years hence. The performance opens with a group of would-be ‘tourists’ exploring the history of Orwell’s central character, Winston Smith, through the writings apparently discovered in his diary.

 

The transformation from present day – which is later revealed to be a future present day somewhere around the year 2084 – to 1984 is confusing and feels a little clunky. It is only after the penultimate revelation of the story’s place in time that we finally understand the external workings of the writing, and its genius is revealed. Purists, however, may wonder how it is possible that the diary escaped the memory hole to survive in the future.

 

The performers all rise to their roles, and the overall effect created by lighting, sound and pace successfully generates a sensory overload that is unnerving. One feels, however, that this adaptation fails to give its key characters the depth of connection necessary to fully play out the interdependency and simultaneous isolation they suffer.

 

Tom Conroy is Winston and instantly feels too young for the part. Orwell describes Winston as 39 years of age, and Julia as 10 to 15 years his junior, yet the two appear to be of similar age. Early constructions of Oceania don’t sufficiently generate the details of the society that controls its citizen’s every move, thought and action, leaving Conroy at an immediate disadvantage.

 

Despite this inconsistency, Conroy delivers a suitably troubled Winston. Later in the piece, live camera projection is used to expose Conroy’s tortured face, blood splattered and desperate. We are treated to a vivid performance of a man torn down by the cruel and unyielding force of the Ministry of Truth.

 

Ursula Mills gives a solid performance as Julia, Winston’s lover and confidant.   Mills looks the part both in age and figure, and her perfectly executed, ‘wooden’ portrayal is a textbook rendering in the beginning. However, it does not evolve sufficiently as the play progresses.

 

The intensity of the relationship between Julia and Winston is sadly glossed over in the adaptation, with neither she, nor the relationship between them, properly explored. This weakens the importance of Winston’s eventual betrayal at the climax of the piece, which is critical to understanding the depths of his defeat; in destroying the couple’s ability to love one another, the Party proves it can truly control all thought, and strip anyone of their humanity.

 

Terrance Crawford is wonderfully menacing as O’Brien. Crawford is in strong voice and has wonderful stature and presence, but weakens his authority with loose and fluid body language during the interrogation. Again the adaptation overlooks establishing O’Brien as an approachable, congenial, gentleman to whom Winston is constantly drawn. This omission sells short the intensity and respect in their relationship, and lessens the impact of both the betrayal and subsequent torture at O’Brien’s hand.

 

Renato Musolino takes on the character of Martin, a servant to O’Brien and supposed member of the Brotherhood. His presence throughout the show is ominous and his constant, unbroken eye contact on Winston is both unnerving and equally telling. Whilst the role doesn’t afford much scope for play, Musolino delivers a wonderfully simple, controlled, performance.

 

As Winston’s neighbour, Parsons, Paul Blackwell is in perfect form. Blackwell imbues Parsons with a kind of harmless naivety. Completely taken in by the party and its motives, Parsons is almost comical and Blackwell nails it. Fiona Press plays his wife, Mrs Parsons and multitude other characters, all which add their own flavour to the complex storyline. Their daughter, played on opening night by Trinity O’Shea, serves as a stark reminder of the control elicited by the Party over young and influential minds.

 

Guy O’Grady has a short lived part in Newspeak expert, Syme, who is categorically vaporized for knowing, and likely saying, too much. O’Grady plays him in just the kind of annoying way one might expect a character expert of any type to act – dribbling on at great pace about his speciality – and is marvellously effective.

 

Yalin Ozucelik is perhaps the most impressive visual transformation as Thought Policeman cum antique-shop-owner, Charrington. He delivers on Orwell’s objective of shocking us with the discovery of his betrayal, even though very little is spoken. Ozucelik effectively constructs the aged shop owner to a point of believability, making his reveal striking for the audience.

 

The design by Chloe Lamford with lighting by Natasha Chivers, sound by Tom Gibbons, and video by Tom Reid is crucial to the success of this production. Sound and lighting in particular are used to great effect to make the audience feel the discomfort and uncertainty that Winston suffers. Opening night sound is uncomfortably loud, and one has to physically block their ears to lessen the deafening volume. Whilst the audio and visual discomfort is necessary in translating the feeling out into the audience, it does seem overdone.

 

The occasional use of voice amplification, interspersed with unamplified voice and then incredibly loud and jarring sound effects gives an uneven quality to the production which is more than just unsettling, and borders on annoying. More amplification of spoken dialogue throughout would smooth out the enormous undulations in the levels.

 

Video is effective in conveying alternative locations, close ups, and in ramming home textual imagery that emphasises key themes. The cast also execute impressively fast scene changes which are carried out with military precision, every object and prop echoing the dystopian existence and Winston’s ever degrading state of mind.

 

Coming into this show without an understanding of 1984 may prove difficult for some. The adaptation chops and splices scenes, and regularly inserts themes and ideas without introduction. Without context, this could be confusing or worse, render important ideas into insignificance.

 

Character relationships suffer in this heavily edited adaptation. Despite this, the integrity of the book is mostly maintained, and the story’s emotional heart is successfully conveyed even with so much detail excluded. Overall the adaptation creates an Orwellian world worthy of attention.

 

If you haven’t read 1984, it is worth investing the time before seeing this show. It is not a feel good story by any stretch of the imagination, but the nuances in the script are more enjoyable with Orwell’s words ringing fresh in the mind.

 

Paul Rodda

 

When: 13 to 27 May

Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre

Bookings: bass.net.au

 

Photography by Shane Reid

Gretel Killeen

Guru Grets and her Psychic Sex and Life Advice. La Bohème. 13 May 2017

 

She’s very famous.  She is used to people asking for her autograph, even people who think she is someone else.  She is on TV. She has written lots of books. She is paid for her opinion.

Gretel Killeen is no shrinking violet and, perchance, we need to be told a lot of this. She is better known in the east than in Adelaide where she is holding a one-night-only stand-up comedy show at La Bohème.

The venue is packed to the rafters. Extra chairs are brought in.

 

But not everyone is there because of Gretel. Gretel’s sidekick is Joey Moore, one-time South Australian Channel 9 children’s TV star. Joey, who has been living in the east and working as a voice-over artist, is beloved by many and they’re there at her behest.  Joey’s job is to introduce the great Gretel and be her foil.

 

They’re friends and also peers in the world of voice-overs - one for Optus and t’other for Telstra. There’s a good line in that and Gretel goes for it. She also chides and mocks Joey who stands in the wings loving every moment of it.

And that’s why the house is full. Joey would not recommend us to a lousy show. Gretel Killeen, stand-up comic, is a joy.

 

She has a wry, self-deprecatory wit and a wise eye for the absurdities of life.

She is frank, disarmingly so.

 

She is not standing up. She is perched on a stool and, oddly, wearing a fur hat. She is post-operative, she reveals, and on drugs. She’s here because she did not want to let the show down. She says her memory is impaired by medication and she waves notes.

 

She also says she is psychic.  She tells of how she was able to discern old pakoras from fresh ones in an Indian deli. Thus equipped with uncanny insight, she is here to see into our lives and problems.  She has audience members write their problems on slips of paper before the show and she later draws them from an ice bucket and discusses them. A number of people ask her to prognosticate on Trump. Gone by November, she declares. Personal questions are given the big audience participation tease. It is meant to be funny and it is. Dud questions she tosses on the floor.

 

She tells tales of travel and media, of stardom and ignominy.  She admits to embarrassing situations which have the audience cringing. She describes the questionable rewards of being mother to a teenage girl. She delivers it all in an engagingly droll manner. She has a script and she also has a quick wit - even on painkillers. There is lots of laughter, lots of common threads and, oh yes, she has that beautiful voice.

 

Whatever people thought of her on Big Brother or in the streams of books and the media persona, this Gretel Killeen is a gem. So we thank our Joey Moore for bringing her to town and hope she comes again.

 

Samela Harris

 

Interested in seeing her next time? Sign up at GretelKilleen.com.au

 

When: 13 May

Where: La Bohème

Bookings: Closed

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Kenny Wax Family Entertainment Ltd. Dunstan Playhouse. 27 Apr 2017

 

If you are on a hunt for new and family friendly ways to entertain your children as winter closes in, look no further than the stellar line up of theatre in this year’s Something on Saturday program.   It’s not often that you can treat your under-10s to high quality touring theatre, but Sally Cookson’s adaption of the much-loved children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, presents the perfect opportunity

 

Set to a whimsical score by Benji Bower, the show retells Michael Rosen’s family adventure with a fun sense of humour and an endearing set of characters.   The book’s vivid locations are brought to life with a simple but clever set design that has you nodding in admiration, in particular the funny and practical interpretation of the “deep, cold river”.

 

Even the bear himself is depicted, and he is fantastic. Big, shaggy and thrilling without being frightening, the bear elicits audible glee.   His appearance marks the show’s frantic conclusion, which is beautifully faithful to the story.

 

The cast are at ease interacting with the young and noisy audience, who are given many opportunities to get involved. 

 

This fantastic piece of children’s theatre is a delightful day out with pre- and primary school age children.

 

Nicole Russo

 

When: 27, 28, & 29 April

Where: Dunstan Playhouse

Bookings: Closed