Review - Since I Suppose

Since I Suppose

A Melbourne Festival Show

Commissioned & Produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Richard Jordon Productions Created by one step at a time like this / Suzanne Kersten, Clair Korobacz, Paul Moir, Julian Rickert Project Manager Kara Ward Developed by Arts House CultureLAB

Season Wed 15 – Sun 26 October 2014

Photo - Ponch Hawkes

Since I Suppose is quite some journey - a solid two and a half hours roam around Melbourne starting at the top end and being ejected as interlopers in the North.  It is exciting but daunting at first - being presented with the earphones and mini screen and sent out onto the streets.   It is great to have a companion for the passage.

It looks, perhaps a little sparsely at the main themes of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure with some site-specific focus on Melbourne itself.  If you are lucky enough to be going to see this work and have time read Shakespeare’s text (again) as it could help enrich an experience.  

Not one of the Bard’s most popular plays as a younger woman, for me, it was about unyielding pride and the kind of stubbornness that can make irreversible decisions.  But as with most things it has become richer and more complex with aging sensibilities and a greatly changed social milieu.

Photo - Ponch Hawkes

One does start to look at things differently when a fictional narrative is imposed on one own city.  It opens one’s mind to probable subcultures at the very least. 

There are a number of surprises on the way, even the positioning each audience member as one of the characters, unexpectedly.  However over all it feels safe and mostly a bit too tame.  In fact where there is the potential for things to become more challenging it would only be at an audience members behest.  

If you do get stuck there will be assistance as I, and my travel partner, discovered when we were standing for way too long in chalk footprints on a busy street corner. 

It would be a shame to give much away as much of the fun is in just allowing things to unfold.

Overall there is a sense that this work has been put together for Melbourne a little too hastily and could do with more fineness and some more smoke and mirrors.  Never the less it is a memorable and enjoyable event. 

And can be confronting at times!

Suzanne Sandow