Theatre Review: My Romantic History

Red Stitch's My Romantic History, July 13 - August 13

I knew when a fluffy ginger cat bolted through the open door at Red Stitch theatre, padded along the hallway and leapt onstage before the start of My Romantic History, this was going to be a fun night. The runaway cat was a fitting curtain-raiser for this agile, fast-paced and highly entertaining production of Scottish playwright D.C Jackson's award-winning play. We all have memories of the painful crushes of our high school days, but not many of us admit to carrying them well into our adult years. My Romantic History gives us two instantly recognizable characters in Tom (Tim Potter) and Amy ( Zoe Boesen), who show us the cringe-worthy kisses, one-night stands and mis-matched relationships that remain hidden in people's lives. Tom gets the play rolling when he declares that if you haven't got married by the time you finish school, you'll be stuck with some guy or girl from work. The play jumps back and forth from Amy and Tom's school years, to their awkward office relationship, revealing how those lusts and longings forged at school or uni can stifle a person's chances for happiness in the present. The third actor Ngaire Dawn Fair, a gifted comedienne, helps propel the story from past to present, filling the stage with a variety of characters with an arch of her eyebrow or the flick of her hip. All three actors are amazing, full of energy and displaying no hesitation in throwing their characters into unflattering situations. It is at Tom and Amy's desperate moments that the show is at it's funniest and most poignant. The cast is supported by a clever set consisting of three toilet cubicles that double as partitioned office desks, or seats on a school bus or any number of scenarios that the play calls for. The cast could transform behind each cubicle before flinging the doors open once again to expose the funny, vulnerable and very human characters inside.

There is a lot to love about this production of My Romantic History, directed by Red Stitch artistic director David Whiteley.

Book Review: Bereft

For all the controversy about the Miles Franklin award, and it's all-male shortlist, there are some brilliant novels on that list each year. Chris Womersley's dark, gothic Bereft ranks amongst the best novels I've ever read. Set in a country town in NSW in the early 1900s, it is an eerie, affecting and beautifully written hymn to grief and lost innocence. The story centers on the brutal rape and murder of a young girl, and her bereft family, with the First World War coming along to create an even deeper chasm between them. The matriarch, Mary Walker is bedridden with a terrible flu, her daughter Sarah murdered, seemingly at the hands of her older brother Quinn, who has not been seen since the day of Sarah's death. Quinn, the bereaved brother who ran away must carry the suspicions of his family, and the entire town as he goes off to fight the Germans in France. He becomes a decorated soldier, though he tosses away his medal, wanting little more than to see his cherished younger sister alive again, and his family back together. The murder and the war make this impossible, but Quinn is drawn back to his hometown to try to put things right. He is considered a fugitive in the town, and knows that his dad Nathaniel and uncle Robert will kill him if they ever saw him. We see everything through the eyes of Quinn, who has to try to solve his sister's murder and reconnect with his mother, without being caught by his male relatives. It's easy to understand how the murder of a child could tear a family apart, but the truth - what really happened to Sarah - would break this family even further. From it's taut prologue to its haunting final schoolyard rhyme, Bereft is a dark, misty place you won't mind slipping into for a while.

The Real Melbourne Arts Precinct

The Victorian Arts Centre, Hamer Hall, the National Gallery of Victoria live alongside one another on St Kilda Rd in what we call the Melbourne Arts Precinct. Apart from the elegant spire, the buildings are big, unfriendly, windowless and not at all inviting, which kind of goes against what the arts should be about. The precinct should inspire people to wander in, explore, feel welcome and enthused and energized about the performances within. I read about a Melbourne director who slammed the precinct for its ugliness, its massive underground car park whereby wealthy arts patrons could roll in, glide into the red carpeted foyers and not get their hair ruffled or their winter coats dampened by Melbourne's rudely changing weather. I tend to agree but I have never counted myself amongst the Melbourne elite and that never stopped me wandering into the precinct any day or night. It's slightly stuffy, glossy, red-carpeted glamour, hushed atmosphere, twinkling lights and sparkling mirrors fired my imagination when I was a child visiting from the very unglamorous outer suburb I grew up in. Perhaps the precinct was not designed and pitched to attract patrons like me. I didn't care. I'd walk into the arts centre even when I didn't have a ticket to allow me into one of its theaters and I'd make promises to myself to return when I had the means to see this or that show. But I seemed to be alone in doing that. Inside, I found empty plush velvet seats, lonely expanses of red carpet, and a few ushers/waiting staff wandering the air-conditioned halls. It is true that the arts centre/precinct is geared towards those who can afford it's reasonably expensive shows, and pricey car park and cafe, and that it doesn't invite the wider community in.

I'm looking forward to ...

Seeing the MTC production of Hamlet, starring Ewen Leslie. I knew it would sell out, and I booked my premium seats for late August. Can't remember the last time I was so excited to see a play. This is my most anticipated play since my husband Jason made his fabulous debut with Racquet at Essendon Theatre Company last June. Jason and my close-friend and theatre director, Natasha, wrote the play together, with Natasha directing. It was a fantastic show.

Hamlet had its previews this week, and very few details have come out about what it's like, whether it is any good, even in the blogosphere and on Twitter, etc. I was surprised by this. I did hear a snippet about a part of the set breaking on opening night. I hope no one was hurt. The body count in the play is high enough as it is. The MTC has posted production photos, and I have a spooky feeling that the play is referencing the current phone-hacking scandal engulfing News Corp. Some of the actors seem to be using earphones, and I know that the play does have scenes where characters eavesdrop, lie, and spy on one another. Could it be that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are private investigators or journalists, a la News of the World? I hope the production is true to the original intention of the play, and doesn't shove contemporary issues in our faces. Let the audience make those connections with the modern world, that's what I say. Melbourne audiences are smart enough to draw their own conclusions.

What I'm Watching

I recently saw The Trip at the movies, and enjoyed the banter of the two leads, and the fact it didn't have much of a plot. It is the Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon show, and I like them both, so it worked for me. Imagine a road trip with Russell Crowe, as himself, and Daniel Craig, trying to out-do each other? Hmmm ... Talk about a clash of egos. But would they be half as entertaining?

Watched another episode in the third season of Mad Men. Will Pete's wife find out about the baby he had with Peggy? What will happen with Joan and that loser doctor she married? Will Don have an affair with his daughter's teacher? Compulsory viewing for me. Can't wait to find out what happens next, though I admit I'm way behind the rest of the world in finding the answers.

Watched the entire first season of Downton Abbey. I'm not sure I buy the storyline of lady Mary and the Turkish dignitary, and her sister calling her a slut over the whole affair. It's a good show, though, and I'll keep watching next season, when the war arrives and changes everything. I absolutely loved Gosford Park, and watch it every once in while on DVD. The same writer is doing Downton Abbey.

What I'm Reading

Bereft, by Chris Womersley, is one of the most haunting books I've read in a long time. I can't put it down. It reminds me a little of To Kill a Mockingbird in its depiction of small town life, the crackle and sizzle of summer, the secrets kept by adults and unravelled by children. It is beautifully written but also a page-turner. What more can I ask for? I promise to post a full review when I finish reading it.