- Caligula - Performative Theatre Company, ACT Hub: Albert Camus' absurdist 1944 play explores the existential crisis of the Roman Emperor Caligula following the death of his sister and lover, Drusilla. Convinced that all life is meaningless, he determines to behave exactly how he wants, which is with hedonism that inspires terror, treating those around him as playthings and becoming a conspirator in the plot to end his life (and reign) through a journey into insanity. Mischa Rippon delivers a magnificent performance in the titular role commanding the stage and demonstrating a great rapport with the audience and other characters, managing to portray the switches between charming and chilling that the pyschotic Roman Emperor demands. The fantastically creative use of the space (another triumphant set design by Kathleen Kershaw) - soft benches/tables, shiny screens, and the all-imposing cracked marble bust - hint towards an asylum-esque atmosphere, while the superbly developed costumes (Alex Elwood) are adapted to suit character and tone. Likewise the lighting design (Euan Tregurtha) is an innovative mix of front, back and side lighting with judicious and effective black outs, while the underlying sound (Paris Scharkie) creates tension and segues from external to internal, so the audience feel the constant anguish of the 'mad' protagonist. Despite a couple of technical set issues, this is a sublime performance of a production that can be desperately dull and ponderous. Director Isaiah Pritchard is to be celebrated for the creative vision evident in the cohesion of elements and design from acting, sound, lights, set and costumes. There is evident method in this madness.
- Kerosene - Off the Ledge Theatre, The Courtyard: This 50-minute solo monodrama (didn't we use to call it a one-person play?) by Benjamin Nichol is a great vehicle for a performer, as they explore themes of love, loneliness, obsession, abuse, and revenge. Winsome Ogilvie has great energy playing Millie as she narrates the events of her deteriorating relationship with her best friend that culminate in a catastrophic cathartic event (the clue is in the title). Her diction and delivery are accomplished and her rapport with the audience is similarly impressive, although there are elements of stasis in which the highs and lows weren't quite high or low enough, leaving the performer with nowhere to go, and a few more pauses would have assisted tension. It is difficult to tell if the limited variation is due to performer or direction. Director Lachlan Houen has set it on a completely bare stage with no props, meaning the lights (Lachlan Houen and Liah Naidoo) and sound have to do a lot of heavy lifting. The lights do indeed highlight mood and intensity through innonative positioning, and there is some astute use of sound (Fergus Mashman), although bearing in mind the lack of other elements, more would have added contrast and points of interest. In general, this is a bold presentation of emotion and storytelling but it is not entirely engaging and drags in places.
- 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche - Everyman Theatre, ACT Hub: In another great vehicle for five female presenting actors to enjoy some solid characterisation, the play centres around the members of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein - an all-female community group that deeply worships quiche and promotes strict, wholesome 1950s domesticity; trad wives of the middle American kind. During their annual breakfast and quiche-judging competition, atomic sirens sound causing the women to barricade themselves in their basement fallout shelter, where secrets and hidden desires can't help but surface. It's improbable and ridiculous but works, as comedy always does, because the actors are committed to their roles and play the laughs straight, allowing the audience to discover the fun themselves. All of the actors bring strong performances, especially Sian Harrington as Ginny, the newcomer to the group, with intelligent choice of accent (Geordie), expressions and genstures providing excellent individual and ensemble work which is a delight to watch. The others are skilled at the comedy as Steph Roberts plays Wren with just the right level of restraint (although her accent is all over the shop), Ylaria Rogers is brittle and charming as Dale in a fun role for her with an innocent conviction that is almost poignant, and Meaghan Stewart bravely delivers a 'New Yoik' gangster accent (which also wavers a lot) and a can't-go-wrong-with-it Rosie the Riveter stance. As the ostensible leader, Crystal Mahon is slightly overshadowed as Lulie by the other big performances, and appears reluctant to leave the actor behind to become the character, resulting in a relatively monotonous performance. The costumes (Fiona Leach) are a visual treat, being wonderfully evocative of time and character, practically telling a story of their own and Nikki Fitzgerald does solid work with the sound and light gags, as highlighted per script. Director Jarrad West also designed the set, which is well-suited to the piece - functional and aesthetically engaging. He brings out the best in his cast and creatives to honour the intent of the piece without heavy-handed intrustion. Having said that, this is designed as a 75-minute one-act comedy (beloved of fringe festivals), and while I understand the need for bar sales, the introduction of an interval meant the second half drags - the play loses its way a little after the metaphorical bombshell, and the first-half fun, frivolty and engagement seems a little distant towards the end.
- Izzard: The Tragedy of Hamlet - Bohm Presents, The Playhouse: Eddie Izzard presents a one-person take on Hamlet, with no set or costume changes and very few lighting or sound effects (except for the ghostly battlements and the playing of the ghost of Hamlet's father). As a lover of Shakespeare, I found it intriguing to see how she portrays all the different characters with moderations to voice and expression, drawing on her experience as a street performer. Others, less familiar with the tragedy of the Great Dane, found it extremely difficult to follow. Ophelia's scene of betrayal and bemusement and her bestowing of flowers and herbs is touching, and the fights that Hamlet has with Laertes are amusing as the sight of a person best known for their comedy fighting with themself will by necessity be played for laughs. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are presented as hand puppets, which also adds an element of levity to the drama, although it must be confusing to comprehend Claudius' reaction to the play within the play that Hamlet devises to 'catch the King' without prior knowledge of the plot. It is delighfully restrained and not at all hammy, which would be easier and tempting to produce. I would not recommend this for a newcomer to the play, but for officionados who wish to concentrate on the delivery of the text, there can be few better exercises.
- The Glass Menagerie - Canberra Repertory Society, Canberra REP Theatre: It is an interesting choice to produce this lesser-known version, which pays off in an engaging production in which the characters feel believable rather than the museum pieces they so often are. The technical aspects add to the vision in a cohesive production which is a pleasure to watch. Rob de Fries plays Tom as an older man looking back on his past, with believable cynicism and superciliousness, although the spell is broke occasionally when the accent drops out. As his mother, Victoria Tyrrell Dixon plays Amanda with a fierce delusion that powers the production, and his sister, Laura, is given a fine portrayal of innocence and lack of ambition by Jamie Johnstone. As Amanda attempts to force her daughter into society (where her sole job is to get a husband and a means of financial support), she cringes back into her fantasy world of glass animals with a hint of guile that makes her intriguingly irritating rather than the simple victim often depicted. Shattering this far-from-peaceful idyll comes Jim (John Whinfield), Tom's work colleague who is set up as a beau for Laura on very little evidence other than that he has a penis and a pulse. Whinfield delivers a strong performance with a loathsome sense of entitlement and mansplaining that makes one want to wipe the smirk off his face. Tennessee Williams is so specific about his lighting that this is often tiresome, but here it heightens the falsity of memory aspect. The highlighting of the menagerie and the portrait of the departed father figure are perfect, and I am a sucker for a mirror ball. I have seen this play many times, but not this version as a 'memory play'. I think this works admirably and is one of the few times I have ever seen the technical specifications of Williams interpreted so well.
