Review: Patrice Balbina’s Chance Encounter With The End Of The World (ATYP)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: ATYP (Walsh Bay NSW), Jan 20 – Jan 23, 2016
Director: Fraser Corfield
Cast: Raul Atalaia, Holly Fraser, Emilie Leclerc, Giuditta Mingucci, Yves Simard
Image by Ben Pugh

Theatre review
Patrice Balbina is a 10-year-old asylum seeker. The character might be fictional, but what she goes through is representative of the experiences that millions have shared. It is a familiar story of struggle, but told from the other side of the fence. The work is devised by artists from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the UK, countries that offer refuge, and where debates about our responsibilities as citizens of the world rage on. Much of our pervasive news media is concerned with how willing or ready we are as developed nations to receive immigrants, with minimal consideration for the reality of life experienced by those waiting to be granted asylum.

What the collective has created here is an earnest portrayal of the plight of those who had fallen victim to unjust and illegal persecution. Patrice’s family leaves their home to escape violent threats, finding themselves in the mercy of people smugglers, a small boat and the ocean. The story never gets complicated, but it does not delve very deep into its potent themes either. Its scenes are beautifully choreographed and energetically performed, but it brings little fresh information to an admittedly tired topic. For a subject matter that is in our attention day after day, and had been for at least 15 years (since 9-11), we wish for the play to provide fresh perspectives for our jaded minds, or maybe emotional resonance for our callused hearts. Patrice’s story feels like a polite and sanitised iteration of what many of us have often imagined to be much more dramatic and harrowing.

From our privileged first world positions, we hear of murders in foreign lands, deaths in the sea, and fatalities in camps. It takes pictures of toddlers washed ashore to move us to action. Tales about other people’s catastrophes have to be desperately brutal before we even begin to lift a finger, so we have to wonder if political discussions in the theatre about the global refugee crisis can ever take a gentle approach. There are no black or white, easy answers to the state of affairs. Even in the realm of make-believe, finding a way to get to a solution is fraught with uncertainty.

www.atyp.com.au

19Jan2016

Review: The Golden Age (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jan 14 – Feb 20, 2016
Playwright: Louis Nowra
Director: Kip Williams
Cast: Rarriwuy Hick, Remy Hii, Brandon McClelland, Robert Menzies, Liam Nunan, Zindzi Okenyo, Sarah Peirse, Anthony Taufa, Ursula Yovich
Image by Lisa Tomasetti

Theatre review
At the time of The Golden Age‘s original première in 1985, we talked about multiculturalism. 31 years on, that buzzword has evolved into the contemporary concern for diversity, and a real need for societies to address pervasive inequities, whether they be surreptitious or conspicuous. Since the middle of the previous century, we have seen the rise of political agitation, most significantly in the realms of race, gender and sexuality, that attempt to remedy the injustices of the world, to varying degrees of success.

In Louis Nowra’s play, two cultures collide, with one being an overwhelming and dominating force that instinctively requires anything contradictory to surrender, assimilate and conform. The other is a community of six people, a lost tribe descended from outcasts in the Tasmanian wilderness, admittedly rustic but undeniably peaceful. The idea of an Australian mainstream is explored bitingly by Nowra, who juxtaposes what we have come to think of as normal, against something quite literally extraordinary, to expose the systemic failings of the way we organise life, in the belief that our idea of civilisation is the only one legitimate and proper. The Golden Age reveals how we fight tooth and nail to hold up an ideal that is ultimately of service to no one, and that has an appetite for destruction so voracious that it causes devastation even unto itself.

We can interpret Nowra’s writing in a myriad ways, and apply his parable to any context of power imbalance, but its relevance to the immediate and pressing matter of Aboriginal lives in colonial Australia cannot be ignored. The subjugation of The Golden Age‘s lost tribe, in the name of protecting them, is a painful parallel to the many governmental initiatives that have transpired and continue to be devised, claiming to be in the best interest of our First Peoples. The way power disguises its self-serving objectives behind façades of charity and convenient slogans like “the greater good”, is scathingly deconstructed and laid bare in this production by director Kip Williams. This is highly complex theatre, yet Williams delivers nuance, clarity and power while retaining the poetic, and challenging, spirit of Nowra’s writing.

Williams’s show is profoundly hypnotic, coalesced with brilliant dramatic chemistry and an air of intriguing mystery so fierce that we are left still wanting more after its generous three-hour duration. The Golden Age works on all levels; entertaining, emotional, spiritual, intelligent and meaningful, it fulfils everything the theatregoer wishes to experience, and leaves an impressive political message that implicates every one of us. David Fleischer’s design brings beauty, both raw and refined, to the stage, along with surprisingly flexible spacial configurations that provide excellent variety for the many scene transitions. Sound and music by Max Lyandvert is the clandestine master manipulator of atmosphere and the author of the show’s sublime mythical dimension. He works with our imagination to take us to wondrous spaces never before encountered, but are viscerally familiar. The aesthetics of the production is dreamlike, simultaneously splendid and cruel, almost quintessentially Australian, but completely enchanting.

The cast is ethnically diverse, with several actors playing parts that are of different races to their own (an oddity for Australian theatre even though we are well into the 21st century). Ursula Yovich as Elizabeth Archer in particular, performs with great acerbity, her character’s increasingly oppressive European presence in the play. Yovich’s utterances of prejudicial statements resonate with startling potency, perhaps informed by the actor’s personal experiences as an Indigenous woman. The heart wrenching lead role Betsheb is played by Rarriwuy Hick, who provides a focused and strong centre to the piece. She balances Betsheb’s wildness with a natural warmth to deliver an endearing personality responsible for the show’s many poignant moments. Brandon McClelland is similarly likeable, creating a Francis that is agile and vibrant, with an emotional depth that makes relationships believable. He figures between both sides of the story’s cultural divide, and is convincing throughout.

The flaws in dominant ideologies stare at us straight in the face every day, but most of us accept them as par for the course. Along with that sense of resignation, many underprivileged lives are allowed to remain in disadvantage, injustice, and hardship. In The Golden Age, the powerful are with the assumption that alternatives will be detrimental to their personal lives, and the powerless suffer the consequences of being outsmarted and outnumbered. There are many occasions in Australia today that we think of the need for a revolution, but our majority is crippled with fear, and the minorities are left in sacrifice. Things can change, and they do change, but with each appearance of sensational work like this, our minds are enlightened and refreshed, and a new sense of urgency can be ignited.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

13Jan2016

Review: The Fantasticks (Wooden Horse Productions)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Jan 11 – 31, 2016
Book and lyrics: Tom Jones
Music: Harvey Schmidt
Director: Helen Dallimore
Cast: Laurence Coy, Martin Crewes, Bobbie-Jean Henning, Jonathan Hickey, Garry Scale
Image by Marnya Rothe

Theatre review
Every day everywhere in the Western world, groups of enthusiasts come together to stage intimate productions of well-known musicals. Their shows are invariably minuscule versions of big budget monsters that had found success on Broadway and the West End. Many are able to prove that money has little to do with the enjoyment and appreciation of a great work, but many more reveal the musical format to be heavily reliant on bells and whistles that can only be acquired by exorbitant sums of cash.

There is a meaningful story in The Fantasticks about the nature of life and love, and the value of emotional pain as children grow into adulthood. Along with beautiful songs that stand the test of time, it is no wonder that this 56 year-old piece is being revived for a Sydney season. In the absence of elaborate sets and other visual wizardry, director Helen Dallimore relies on her excellent cast of five to tell a story of young love and its disappointments. Their talent is undeniable, but the performers are often left to their own devices, and we feel an inadequacy resulting from that lack of support. The stage seems to need more action. On this occasion unfortunately, simply having strong actors do their best on a bare (but pretty) stage does not quite cut it.

Music is also extremely minimal, with only Hayden Barltrop on keyboards and Glenn Moorhouse on guitars, but their work is effective. A surprising and delightful consequence of the quiet accompaniment is that the vocals are beautifully prominent, which is not usually the case at this particular auditorium. Sound Designer Jeremy Silver has clearly done an exceptional job for this production. Also wonderful are Bobbie-Jean Henning and Jonathan Hickey who play the teenage love-birds, both committed and compelling, with sensational voices and irresistible charm. The duo is endearing from the start, and believable until the very end, but the show depends too heavily on their magic, and we see them struggle with some of the heavy lifting in concluding scenes.

It must be noted that the controversial number “Rape Ballet” is kept intact. One cannot imagine a song like it to be written today, so the decision for its inclusion is a problematic one. We should not be a society that disallows any subject matter in our art, taboo or otherwise, but sensitive topics need to be treated with extra care. The word “rape” seems to be on the verge of joining an increasingly long list of words that are to be avoided at all costs in the public domain, but art must not abide by this rule of convenience. It is art’s responsibility to unpack the prohibitions of society, and use its ingenuity to present these issues in ways that will mean progress and enlightenment. This instance of the “Rape Ballet” might be offensive to many, but its omission would have been cowardly. A better solution is to invest immense thought and sensitivity into the matter, and whether or not the creators have done sufficiently here, is entirely debatable.

www.hayestheatre.com.au | www.woodenhorseproductions.net

9Jan2016

Review: Disco Pigs (Throwing Shade Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: The Factory Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Jan 7 – 9, 2016
Playwright: Enda Walsh
Director: Andrew Langcake
Cast: Jeff Hampson, Courtney Powell

Theatre review
Enda Walsh’s Disco Pigs is a very specific story. It deals with a very particular time in a teenager’s life, and the set of circumstances surrounding its characters is culturally unique. The play does not aim to be universally appealing, but in its passionate exploration of something anomalous, an essence emerges that can reveal aspects of life that we can all recognise. Walsh’s language and narratives are interested in the marginalised youth of Western societies. We are presented with a state of being that needs to be understood, but is often ignored. It deals with the consequences of modernity, and how our young negotiates the dangerous meaninglessness of life at a time when everything can be reduced and diminished. With the commodification of everything in pervasive economic rationalisation, we experience chaotic shifts in ethics and values, and what we impart to our youth is consistently but disappointingly dubious.

Pig and Runt make their own rules. They have accepted that money is out of reach, and coupled with a disrespect of social mores, their lives are guided by the pleasure principle, with intoxication and violence forming the core of their existence. In their failure to see greater meaning in life, time is spent on the base and visceral, and we wonder how the appetite for progress, advancement or even aspiration have come to be in most of our lives. Direction of the work by Andrew Langcake is simple, but energetic. While not hugely imaginative, the staging is mindful of creating a sense of aliveness for the author’s words, in order that we can reach a more intimate perspective of the characters’ somewhat unusual world through their construction of action, sound and atmosphere. Actors Jeff Hampson and Courtney Powell are well-rehearsed and thoughtful in their approach, but execution can be more precise and confident. These are wild stories being told, and even though they make good attempts at depicting the grittiness of their Irish city, finding authenticity for that harrowing environment proves to be quite a challenge.

Artists must be encouraged to create mountains out of molehills, so that the unusual can be seen. As long as truths can be found, all artistic expression is valid. We don’t have to care about the people in Disco Pigs but they do have something to offer anyone who wishes to listen. When the moral of the story is unclear, the captive audience will find for themselves what they most need to hear.

www.throwingshade.com.au

7Jan2016

Review: Jasper Jones (Belvoir St Theatre)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jan 2 – Feb 7, 2016
Playwright: Kate Mulvany (based on the novel by Craig Silvey)
Director: Anne-Louise Sarks
Cast: Tom Conroy, Kate Mulvany, Matilda Ridgway, Steve Rodgers, Guy Simon, Charles Wu
Image by Lisa Tomasetti

Theatre review
Laura is found dead, and although not wrapped in plastic, the stories in her town of Corrigan bear many similarities to those at David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. Burgeoning adolescence, secret lovers, hidden sanctuaries, sexual abuse and a creepy man that holds the key to mysteries. Jasper Jones acknowledges the debt it owes to Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, and there is certainly more than a sense of familiarity in the way Laura’s murder is explored, but the play provides a fresh look at Australia’s own troubled experience of race relations, which remains under-represented in our artistic landscape. Unlike the Americans for example, we have shied away from the truths of our racism, both historical and current, so works such as Jasper Jones that place attention on our indigenous and immigrant cultures are deeply important, not only for the development of our theatrical heritage, but also for a wider benefit to society in general. Healing can only come from understanding, and the ugly sides of our histories must be recognised if we are to find meaningful progress as a unified nation.

Kate Mulvany’s witty and highly amusing script portrays a small rural community that is familiar on the surface, but surprising and dark underneath. It is concerned with the duality of the Australian memory of a friendly, unpretentious past, and the cruel prejudice suffered by refugees and Aboriginal peoples through the years. Under Anne-Louise Sarks’ direction, characters in the show are idiosyncratically palpable, and every scene is replete with dramatic and comedic tension. Sarks’ show excels in keeping us engaged and emotionally invested, but the central issue of its title role’s adversities seem underwhelming. Jasper is an Aboriginal teenager accused of Laura’s murder, but his struggles do not provide the strongest resonances in the piece. We are distracted by other more pleasurable details in the plot, and like in real life, tend to overlook the serious plight of our country’s first peoples. Jasper Jones is entertaining, dynamic and extremely likeable, but its gravity is not sufficiently manifested, resulting in a production that is not as thought-provoking as it should be.

Playing 14-year-old Charlie is (adult actor) Tom Conroy, who depicts purity with incredible accuracy and charm. His performance is entirely believable, and we follow his coming-of-age journey with tremendous interest. Conroy provides the anchor on this stage, with an endearing nature that ensures that we care for his town and all that happens in it. Equally captivating is Charles Wu as Jeffrey, a young son of Vietnamese immigrants and Charlie’s best friend. The actor displays splendid humour, and a natural exuberance that injects energy with every entrance. His irresistible comedy ranges from subtle to slapstick, but no matter his approach, we greet it with uncurbed laughter.

There is much to love in Jasper Jones (including Michael Hankin’s versatile set and Matt Scott’s tender lighting design), but it involves subject matter that requires greater impact. We talk about social injustices frequently, and we become blasé about them, if only as a defence mechanism against issues that seem insurmountable, so stories need to pack considerable punch to have real effect. Jasper’s suffering in 1965 cannot be divorced from his ethnicity, and fifty years on, we have to examine the nature of that prejudice and continue to seek a solution to that preposterous violation of Aboriginal communities that refuses to go away. No single play can bring about a complete revolution, but every attempt should bring us closer.

www.belvoir.com.au

10Dec2015

Review: Dropped (The Goods Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Dec 8 – 20, 2015
Playwright: Katy Warner
Director: Anthony Skuse
Cast: Deborah Galanos, Olivia Rose
Image by Christine Chahoud

Theatre review
Two soldiers are in a war zone, boots on the ground as it were. They are buddies, joined at the hip, supporting each other through the calamity in which they find themselves. Life could hardly be more vulnerable or dangerous, but they are upbeat, perhaps a result of the training they had received, or the innate strength that they had brought to their vocation. They also seem to be losing their minds a little. In their struggle for survival, the women let themselves drift in and out of fantasy, and we never know for sure which of their dialogue is fact, or fiction; it is all too distant from our comfy vantage point.

Katy Warner’s script is ambitious and difficult. Dropped is at times abstract, often turning surreal, and even though it offers effective points of reference for a sense of coherence, the play can be disorienting. It contains sentimental elements to help with an emotional connection, but Anthony Skuse’s direction seems to steer the show for a cerebral experience, attempting to engage our logic instead. The production is a polished one, with Verity Hampson’s lights especially memorable, but it is also alienating. It talks about hope and death, themes that are unquestionably universal, but its profundity escapes us.

Accomplished performances by Deborah Galanos and Olivia Rose keep the energy up, and their palpable commitment to the challenging parts is admirable. Galanos’ sincerity and Rose’s vivacity are appropriately showcased, making their respective characters affable, in spite of the unimaginably horrific circumstance they portray.

It is a new realisation that we no longer live in peaceful times. Stories about war and disaster must now come to the fore, and our consciousness must be reminded of the horrors that many are facing. It is unacceptable to hide behind delusions while our worlds are experiencing carnage. If we send people off to fight, the least we could do is to observe the bloodshed. The damage is real. As long as we fail to find solutions, we must all suffer the consequences.

www.thegoodstheatrecompany.com.au

3Dec2015

Review: Swansong (Red Line Productions)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Dec 1 – 5, 2015
Playwright: Connor McDermottroe
Director: Greg Carroll
Cast: Andre de Vanny

Theatre review
Occi is a young man in Ireland, suffering from mental illness and an uncontrollable tendency for violence. He does have moments of tranquillity though, and in between those two extremes, we discover qualities of a complex character that simultaneously repulses and attracts us. It is a tale about isolation, and therefore a statement about community. The monsters that live amongst us are cultivated by the forces surrounding them, and our complicity in the development of people like Occi must be examined. Connor McDermottroe’s Swansong may not contain people or places that we can easily relate to, but it is ultimately an exploration into human nature that we can all understand.

The play is structured with ample amounts of intrigue and tension built into an absorbing plot line that incorporates a satisfying string of revelations and surprises. It offers little insight or new perspectives into its concerns, but the writing provides extraordinary scope for a dynamic staging that can range from very quiet to very wild, within the sometimes restrictive monologue format. Director Greg Carroll and actor Andre de Vanny’s seamless collaboration focuses entirely on the performance of the piece. The production comes without a set design or props, and there is no sound design. Relying only on a simple costume and occasional lighting changes, Swansong is a mighty tour de force featuring an indisputable talent and his boundless energy and commitment. What de Vanny brings to the stage is faultlessly executed. Voice, face and body are operated at capacity, with a sense of euphoria that can only come with total abandonment. Nothing is kept in reserve, and the audience can only respond with an earnestness parallel to the show’s thorough and powerful vulnerability.

Occi’s life is full of struggles, but Swansong is not interested in our sympathies. We are free to look and judge him how we will, as we are want to do in our every day, but our eyes are opened to the experiences of an unusual existence, one that has tasted extremities that thankfully elude many of us. At the theatre, we seek our reflections, but what can be equally rewarding, is to catch a glimpse of some strange life that will never touch us otherwise. Our individual worlds can often be too small, and art is the antidote.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

1Dec2015

Review: Hamlet (Montague Basement)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: PACT Centre for Emerging Artists (Erskineville NSW), Dec 1 – 5, 2015
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Saro Lusty-Cavallari
Cast: Zach Beavon-Collin, Robert Boddington, Christian Byers, Lulu Howes, Patrick Morrow
Image by Zaina Ahmed

Theatre review
If Hamlet lives today, his claims about seeing the ghost of his recently deceased father would probably not be taken very seriously at all. In Saro Lusty-Cavallari’s adaptation, the Prince of Denmark deals with his bereavement by locking himself away with Disney films, and spends too much time online. We also only ever see the apparition in Hamlet’s presence (through television sets), which allows us to bring his sanity to question. This version of Hamlet explores youth and its detachment from reality, especially in the context of modern technology. It is about isolation, delusion, and that sense of entitlement often attributed to the privileged lives of children born in the economic boom of late twentieth century.

Lusty-Cavallari’s vision is focused and powerful. Substantial omissions are made to serve his reinterpretation, but his choices are interesting and thoughtful ones that challenge our preconceived notions about the text, and urges us to look with fresh eyes. We are made to consider if this Hamlet presents the same man in a different light, or whether this rendition is indeed an entirely different character from the one we had known. Performances do not always live up to the demands of Shakespeare’s writing, but Christian Byers brings good tension and drama with the title role, even if there is little variation in his approach to the prince’s temperament or gesticulations. Supporting player Patrick Morrow leaves a strong impression as Polonius, with effortless charm and a natural pace that help him stand out on a stage that does not shy away from outlandish theatrics.

Set design is beautifully executed, with components of media and technology strewn across the space, representing Hamlet’s room, and illustrating the disposable nature of our contemporary lives. “To be or not to be” almost becomes a flippant statement for a generation that struggles to find meaning, but the team in this production of Hamlet is determined to locate, in Shakespeare, relevance and resonance for themselves, and subversion it seems, is the only way.

www.montaguebasement.com

29Nov2015

Review: Through A Beaded Lash (The Depot Theatre)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: The Depot Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Nov 25 – Dec 12, 2015
Playwright: Robert Allan
Director: Julie Baz
Cast: Leo Domigan, Ryan Henry, Emily McGowan, Cherilyn Price, Oliver Rynn, Roger Smith

Theatre review
Robert Allan’s Through A Beaded Lash jumps between today and the early 80’s, to look at the AIDS epidemic and its effect on Sydney’s gay community over the last 30 years. Stories of this nature are in abundance, but published works seem to be predominantly American, and to have a new Australian voice for this issue is not only refreshing, it is deeply important. Our concerns and ideas may not be much different, but we must remember that that period of fear and devastation is a significant part of our local histories, and not just a chain of events that happened only at a distant time and space.

Allan’s script is deliberately light in tone, but its heavy heart is palpable and unambiguous. The play’s nostalgic quality will appeal to many, not only to those who experienced that era first-hand, but also to young ones who recognise their connection with that legacy of pride and pain. As a work of comedy, its wit is not razor sharp and several of its jokes require revision, but its genuine and powerful sentimentality is irresistible. That pathos is effectively orchestrated by Julie Baz, whose direction ensures that not a dry eye leaves the venue. There are issues with chemistry in the cast, and the production is, on the whole, lacking in elegance, but ultimately, Through A Beaded Lash is a remarkably moving play.

Performances are not particularly refined, but Leo Domigan and Roger Smith provide memorable moments that surprise with their extraordinary authenticity. Oliver Rynn creates the most believable character in the show, delighting us with a natural approach that outshines the oft too affected style of several cohorts.

When the worst is gone, we find ourselves grappling with the trauma it leaves behind. People become stronger after horrific events, and they can only do their best to move on, with scars that become invisible over time but the damage will not be eradicated. Dangers exist in our ability to pretend that every dark day is over, and it is on occasions like this, that a truthful story can provide remembrance that will expose the vulnerability that we live with, and we see that the healing process must continue.

www.thedepottheatre.com

28Nov2015

Review: King Lear (Sydney Theatre Company)

Posted in Theatre by Suzy Wrong

Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre at Walsh Bay (Sydney NSW), Nov 24, 2015 – Jan 9, 2016
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Neil Armfield
Cast: Simon Barker, Wade Briggs, Helen Buday, Max Cullen, Alan Dukes, Eugene Gilfedder, Jacek Koman, Nick Masters, Colin Moody, Robyn Nevin, Eryn Jean Norvill, Geoffrey Rush, Phillip Slater, Helen Thomson, Mark Leonard Winter, Meyne Wyatt
Images by Heidrun Löhr

Theatre review
Lear finds himself rejected by all his daughters, and loses his mind. Redemption is eventually found, when he discovers grace and purity, but what remains of interest, is the rationale behind his torment. In King Lear, we look at issues surrounding mortality, kinship and honour, and examine how it is that good people can turn bad. The provocative difference between the elder “vicious sisters” Goneril and Regan, and the youngest Cordelia with a heart of gold, along with our observations of the king’s narcissism reflected in his immoral daughters’ greed, are pertinent to this discussion of evil and its roots. In the glaring absence of a maternal figure, a direct correlation can be made between Lear’s downfall and the depravity he had encouraged in his children. The tragedy is karmic, and Shakespeare’s morality play warns of the consequences one has to to reap from the seeds that are sowed.

The play is long and complex, with characters and narratives that can be explored endlessly. Finding a focus for a production of King Lear is crucial, and although Neil Armfield’s rendition is not short of drama and energy, its scope seems to be too wide, with too ambitious an approach. In its earnest efforts at unearthing nuance, it loses sight of elements that deliver poignancy, and the show is only able to resonate sporadically. Armfield’s trust in actors is evident. Personalities on stage are idiosyncratic, and the formidable lead players are certainly vibrant and appealing, but their work would benefit from greater manipulation by their director.

Geoffrey Rush’s vulnerability takes centre stage in his portrayal of Lear. His descent into madness is not particularly startling, but we are drawn into the authentic humanity that Rush reveals in states of devastation. He puts on a spirited performance, but bodily positions are often overly crouched, obscuring facial and physical expressions from view of the very large auditorium, making audience connection challenging at many points. Lear’s most theatrical scenes are interpreted with insufficient power, including an underwhelming death, but Rush’s way with words remains unquestionable and a real highlight of the production.

Stealing the show is Mark Leonard Winter who spends a majority of his stage time as Edgar completely naked. Nudity is difficult for any actor (and audience), but Winter overcomes the issue beautifully by arresting our attention, away from his body, onto a captivating performance that is dynamically varied and emotionally compelling. The actor displays a tenacious and magnetic conviction, as well as a commanding presence, balanced by extraordinary sensitivity, all outstanding qualities conspiring to create the most memorable supporting role of the play.

Also impressive are Robert Cousin’s sets and Nick Schlieper’s lights. The visions they create are breathtaking, and truly fascinating. Act Two in particular, begins with actors seemingly floating in a vast white of nothingness, where for a few seconds, no end and no beginning to space can be perceived. The manufacture of a storm, complete with an oversized wind machine and water falling incessantly from above, provide a sensational spectacle and additional dimension to what the actors work hard to achieve. The aesthetic is best described as minimal. We can sense the purposeful subtraction that has taken place to leave the various empty spaces for activity to occur, but the effectiveness of this bareness is clearly debatable. The production proves that King Lear‘s story can be told with few objects and visual symbols, but it will never be known if all that has been taken away is indeed redundant.

We hurt the ones we love most, and family is where the thin line between love and hate is most pronounced. It is because the people are important, that our emotions cannot disengage. Betrayal can only come from trust, and it is both sides of that same coin that Lear’s story addresses. The end is deeply pessimistic, but all tragedies leave behind a future, and the audience is an unequivocal part of it. How we move away from each tragic ending matters, but not every ending will bring elevation to life. Cordelia dies in her father’s arms after a period of sorrowful estrangement. Her demise is bittersweet, but for those who witness it, time is on our side, and we hold on to the belief that better is always possible.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au