Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Feb 6 – Mar 17, 2024
Playwright: Van Badham (after Lope de Vega)
Director: Kenneth Moraleda
Cast: Arkia Ashraf, Alfie Gledhill, Melissa Kahraman, Johnny Nasser, Contessa Treffone, Aaron Tsindos, Megan Wilding
Images by Daniel Boud
Theatre review
Phynayah is on the verge of turning 30, and unless she marries soon, a substantial inheritance will be forfeited. There is no shortage of suitors, but her serious lack of intellect means that the men are only in it for the money, and even Phynayah knows that love cannot be built solely on greed. Van Badham’s A Fool in Love, is an ultramodern adaptation of Lope de Vega’s 1613 play La dama boba, in which we explore matters of the heart and mind.
Badham’s work is further concerned with archetypal portrayals of women, and with Phynayah’s foolishness juxtaposed against her sister Vanessa’s book smarts, A Fool in Love wants us to consider the ways in which we are accustomed to talking about women, and the repercussions of those conventions. This is all done however, through a great deal of humour, in a production that labours too hard perhaps, to get the laughs.
The story is thought-provoking, and even though Badham succeeds at earning our investment into Phynayah’s plight, there is an obscure quality to the dialogue, probably derived from the age of the original, that provides a conversational style that is slightly rigid. Direction by Kenneth Moraleda is wonderfully flamboyant, and even though overzealous with its comedy, delivers a show that deeply engages our senses.
Set and costumes by Isabela Hudson revel in an unambiguous campness, as though indicating a queer attitude overlaying this feminist retelling of an old tale. Hudson too pokes fun wherever she can, especially in reference to how we perceive gender and class in the present moment. Benjamin Brockman’s lights add to the flamboyance, taking many opportunities to induce excitement in a production that is unafraid of being flashy. Sounds and music by Michael Toisuta could demonstrate greater sensitivity for the atmosphere being manufactured, but bears a dynamism nonetheless, that adds to the vibrancy of the piece.
Actor Contessa Treffone is a splendid Phynayah, genuinely hilarious but also unequivocally poignant when we need her to dial up the tension. Also extremely comical is Aaron Tsindos who as Lee and Neeson, never misses a beat with his jokes, yet offering consistent clarity to the intentions of both his roles. Johnny Nasser and Megan Wilding are equally fabulous with their timing and sensibilities, able to keep things believable, whilst convincingly inhabiting very heightened spaces. Arkia Ashraf, Alfie Gledhill and Melissa Kahraman are manifestly committed to all their parts, in a staging that is never short of manic energy.
It could be true that no woman is truly stupid, that it could just be that some of us make poor choices. In a world that often restricts us to inferior options, and that keeps us in disagreeable situations, many women can appear to make bad decisions, when in fact we are simply disallowed to live out our full potential. There is so much of what we are capable of, that is deemed inappropriate, repugnant or ruinous, by systems that only thrive when we are subjugated. Whether Phynayah develops her intellect, grows in courage, or stays the very same, she is always already divine.
Suzy Goes See 