Review - The Woman Tamer

Replay Presents

The Woman Tamer

By Louis Esson

Directed by Rob Reid

Cast

Tom Molyneux

Clara Pagone

Jack Beeby

Kate Brennan

Assistant Direction and Chorography Kate Brennan

The Owl and the Pussycat

21 – 25 May

Rob Reid is nothing if not courageous. So often one hears it said that real Art is born of taking risks.  Couched in ambiguity this fascinating production risks being rebuffed tor being obscure.

As an adapted version of a short insightful piece about Melbourne’s underworld by Louis Esson, written in 1910, it is like a puzzle and will be read by each audience member according to his or her knowledge, or lack of, about theatre, rehearsal techniques, old Australian vernacular and the works, life and times of Louis Esson.  It is reminiscent of his much longer work The Bride of Gospel Place - first performed in 1926.

This reviewer experienced The Woman Tamer as a rare confusing and provocative cerebral treat.  That is not to say, it is not a visceral experience because it is, most particularly in the repetitive dressing and undressing of Kate Brennan that infers unquestioning monotonous sexual compliance.

The Woman Tamer commences in the small foyer of The Owl and the Pussy Cat with the ukulele backed melodic harmonic singing of Clara Pegone and Jack Beeby then moves into the performance space. Thereafter Tom Molyneux and Chopsey the character he is playing becomes the main focus of attention.  The other three actors work strongly around, and in response, to him - portraying a number of characters using almost all the words of the original text. 

As actors, with the possible exception of Molyneux, none fully integrate their characters, but rather, in a Brechtian manner are both themselves and the characters they are interpreting.

The sum total reads as a sort of Abstract or sub-text and proffers a strange revelation - that could be interpreted as, displaying the troubled mechanics of the writers mind.  Though the Director’s program notes suggest that it is the mental health of the main protagonist Chopsey that is being explored in relation to his poor sense of his own masculinity.

This is one of those productions where you are at liberty to make up your own mind about what is going on.   But you will have to catch it first, in its very short run at the, public transport friendly, Owl and the Pussycat just opposite the Richmond Station in Swan Street.

(For Stage Whispers)

Review - Acidtongue and Dollface

Acidtongue and Dollface

Written and Directed by Christopher Bryant

Cast: Kristina Benton – Susan’s Mother, James Cerche – James, Trelawney Edgar – Susan, Christian Hoegh – Susan’s Father

The Owl and the Pussycat

34 Swan Street Richmond

10 – 20 January 2013

The stakes were too high for this opening night.  The Owl and the Pussycat have been extremely courageous in their recent offerings and MKA has just treated Melbourne audiences to a sting of great productions.  So my expectations were high.   So - what follows is an attempt to understand why and what this production is lacking.

The promo blurb says one thing and the play says something else.  Ambiguity can be intriguing, but the ambiguity couched in this work is confusing.  The inference in the promo material that the work is a response to the restrictive privilege of growing up in suburbia is not adequately substantiated.

Acidtongue and Dollface commences with an interrogation and a counseling session played in conjunction.  This establishes a pervading dark tortured theme of self-loathing and punishment.   We are introduced to the fact there has been a murder and thence the story works backwards and forwards illustrating characters and situations but not a clear motive or motives.  Something is missing and it is one of those tricky situations where it is difficult to tell exactly what it is.

Susan (Trelawney Edgar) is a teenage girl, who’s Mother (Kristina Benton) and Father (Christian Hoegh) have separated.  She lives with her mother whom she is nasty towards and she has just started a new relationship with a lanky teenage boy named James.   The two teenagers go on a midnight rampage in the burbs and James kills Susan’s mother – but why?  It is just not clear.

What is vividly illustrated in this production is the delusive state of Susan’s mothers mind in respect to rekindling intimacy with her estranged husband and her self-loathing as she watches signs of aging take her body over.  Therefore her demise takes on the attributes of a sacrifice.  Unexpectedly this suggests the destruction of a middle-aged, self-loathing, delusional victim is as the theme of the work.  Which could be partly due to the strength of Christina Benton’s portrayal of her.

Christopher Bryant has written some strong and poignant scenes that are entertainingly portrayed.  Two of these are memorably, awkward minutes between Susan’s parents at the Supermarket and a fabulous scene of using electronic media to communicate - when a simple conversation would suffice.  But the work does not flow as a whole, lingers unnecessarily on some interactions.   It needs more/some substantial dramaturgical work, or the eye of a separate director to lift it out of blandness and confusion.  That is not to say it isn’t interesting and doesn’t have promise but it is not there yet.  It is way too introspective to be adequately dealing with the subject matter of murder, which suggests fear of the material.

Whether I was first night nerves, or not, Susan did not present as a normal teenager except in the video footage where Trelawney Edgar shone.  There was way too much tension in this young actor’s opening performance to be convincing.  She may be best suited to television acting and could focus her energies in that direction.  James Cerche was more believable as James - albeit a character lacking motives (as I am sure I have already said).  A more substantially filled-out, whole person, is the character of Susan’s father, who did come across as your average bloke with some light and shade.

Awkward costume changes detracted from the atmosphere, which, could be been better enhanced with more lights for the light design by Emily Keene.

Suburbia is ruled, over, by self-loathing matriarchs, that if killed, become the haunting undead that will never let go – so there is no hope!  And maybe everyone should lighten up and turn this work in to a comic horror play!

It is a really interesting production to think about, and I am glad I saw it, I think – but so difficult to write about!

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whispers)