Queen Lear MTC review

Queen Lear
By William Shakespeare
MTC
Directed by Rachel McDonald
July 7 to 18 August


Thanks to Stage Whispers for allowing this review to be published on Footlights, Frames and Fiction. Check out the latest reviews on www.stagewhispers.com.au


It is a sensational idea to re-cast King Lear from the perspective of a Queen and to put the formidable Robyn Nevin in the lead role. Nevin’s pose on the production poster, complete with mane of hair and those expressive eye shining with rage, wisdom and grief promises a rich and fearless theatrical experience. Indeed, her first appearance on the stage is electrifying, as she steps forth in a bejewelled red gown with coiffured white and black hair. Chains slither to the stage floor before her like serpents in her lair, as she prepares to put her three daughters to a ‘love test’. Whichever daughter puts on the most elaborate, showy display of love for their mum, will be rewarded with a generous portion of mum’s kingdom.
Director Rachel McDonald has found her perfect Lear and that’s why it’s strange that the production overall is so unsatisfying. It is a three-hour show that quickly becomes plodding, weighed down by jaw-aching dialogue and impossibly complex plots and sub-plots.
McDonald has talked publicly about tapping into the ‘Cinderella’ elements of Lear, with two scheming sisters, Goneril (played by Genevieve Picot) and Regan (Belinda McClory). There's an evil mother, and a good third sister, Cordelia (Alexandra Schepisi), Lear’s youngest daughter. The opening scene in which Queen Lear begins her contest has the look and feel of a delicious fairytale. Nevin makes wicked fun of her first lines, when she announces plans to offload her regal duties on her daughters and "crawl toward death". But retirement is not going to be quite the experience she expects.
The problem is that the Cinderella story is so much easier to follow than this incredibly complex play by Shakespeare. With Cinderella, we immediately side with the good girl and hope her fairy godmother can arrange for her to win over the Prince. In Lear’s world, things are way more complicated. Shakespeare's text has so much to say on so many levels. In this production, that gets lost. We don't know what Lear and Cordelia's relationship was like before that first scene. It's hard to understand why Lear throws Cordelia out. How does she justify that? This production is missing something fundamental to give it meaning.
The dialogue is incredibly heavy; characters are constantly moving in and out of scenes; traps are laid; letters change hands. But what is driving all of this? There’s a parallel narrative involving another parent figure, Gloucester (Richard Piper) and his scheming illegitimate son, Edmund (David Paterson) and more favored son Edgar (Rohan Nichol). Then there are the two husbands of the older sisters, Cornwall (Nicholas Hammond) and Albany (Greg Stone). There is also Lear's friend, Kent (Robert Menzies), who is one of the play's voices of reason.
This Lear is hard work to keep up with. You can almost hear the audience straining, as one, to follow it. Many of the actors seem to be in one gear. They deliver their lines in strong, clear voices but there's not much depth to the characters. There were some sound issues on opening night. To this reviewer, Nevin's key scene during the storm was inaudible. I could hear her speaking but couldn't make out the actual words. The thunder and lightning effects were distracting. This wiped out a big part of the play.
The strong presence of Nevin, and Richard Piper, as Gloucester, keep the play alive. Piper is affecting as the unfortunate Gloucester, who gets his eyes gouged out in the second half of the play. This bloody scene at least brought about a change in the atmosphere. Piper was brilliant at making the transition from a powerful man to a blinded, helpless one. The scene where he walks towards a cliff with his exiled son, Edgar, and talks about wanting to jump off was a highlight.
Despite Nevin and Piper's powerful performances, a talented cast all capable of great things, and striking set design (slinky chains, Ottoman Empire temple decor, and barbed wire), this Lear is likely to frustrate audiences. It should work, but it doesn't.

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Not sure how many people ventured out in the freezing cold to see this production of Macbeth in July at Broken Mirror Studios, Brunswick, but it was quite cool, and different. This review is taken from the Stage Whispers website:

http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/m

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Here's my review of Down Dangerous Passes Road, which ran at Broken Mirror Studios in August. This review appears on the Stage Whispers website:

http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/down-dangerous-passes-road

Latest Review

Here's my review of Future of the Species, part one, now showing at La Mama Carlton, as published on the Stage Whispers website:

http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/future-species-part-one

Latest Review

Here's my latest review: Medea of Baghdad, at La Mama Carlton until Sept 11, as shown on the Stage Whispers website

http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/medea-baghdad

MTC HAMLET REVIEW 2011

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare

Melbourne Theatre Company

July 19 to September 3, 2011

The MTC Theatre, Sumner

Director: Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips has created a glittering production of Hamlet with a strong cast lead by Ewen Leslie, who is to begin filming his lead role in a film adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ Dead Europe. Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play and Tsiolkas one of my favourite writers, so I was keen to see how Leslie was handling these works. I was also disappointed to have missed Phillips’ production of Richard III at the MTC last year, which also starred Leslie, so I wasn’t taking any chances this year.

I was dazzled by this production, especially by the towering glass set, which revolves from scene to scene. We see the actors running, hiding, spying on each other through the clear glass walls, giving the play intrigue and depth. Phillips’ vision is cinematic, and the transitions from scene to scene, and the pace and use of music seem heavily influenced by film and TV. As soon as one scene finishes, the stage spins and the actors in that new scene start their dialogue before the stage comes to a stop. Not all the transitions work as perfectly as they could. The use of loud, modern music in some scene changes is unnecessary. Some have criticised the use of ‘mood’ music that kicked in each time there was a dramatic scene. But that’s a cinematic touch, and I had no problem with that.

Putting aside the amazing set, Phillips has a terrific cast to work with. There was Ewen Leslie, who is predicted to become a big film star; Pamela Rabe as Gertrude;  Garry McDonald as Polonius; Robert Menzies as the Ghost and Player King; and John Adam as Claudius. The weight of the play, and so many of its lines and scenes, rests on Leslie’s shoulders and he gives the role his all. He starts the play squirming and in physical pain watching his mum, Gertrude, married to his uncle, Claudius, so soon after his father’s death. As soon as he’s alone, Leslie is on the stage floor, doubled over and full of loathing for what his mother has done. I’ve heard Leslie wanted to be decisive in his role as Hamlet, and he jumps straight into the character’s anguish. He starts the play twisted and sickened, and becomes blistering from there on. I’m not a fan of actors who are constantly shouting in plays, and thankfully Leslie gets the chance for quieter, more intimate scenes. His ‘to be, or not to be’ speech, spoken while he is lying on his bed, is well-judged, as is his ‘Yorick’ speech by the graveside (my personal favourite scene from Leslie in this play). The audience did not make a sound in these two scenes, which reflects the respect with which those famous soliloquys are held. It’s also a great testament to Leslie’s stage presence, and skill. No one wants to miss a word coming out of his mouth. My only criticism is that Leslie was too angry too often. Leslie has incredible range and his rage is convincing and frightening. I was almost in tears watching him destroy the delicate, pretty Ophelia. But I wanted to see more of Hamlet's dark wit, his sensitivity, and intelligence. There were glimpses of this, such as when Leslie plants a kiss on Claudius’ cheek, and taunts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Polonius. I can see why Leslie would be electrifying as a villain, as he was said to be with Richard III.  

Robert Menzies is magnetic as the ghost of Hamlet’s father. He almost stole the show for me, with his tatty woollen jumper, pale face, and booming voice. The scene where the ghost appears to Hamlet, steam hissing from his jumper as if he’s been tossed from hell, is a theatrical moment to be savoured. Pamela Rabe is always excellent, but she is under-used in this play. It’s the first time I’ve realised that Gertrude is an under-written role. Or perhaps Phillips just didn’t give Rabe a chance to kick off her stilettos, and put down her glass of whisky, and let Gertrude grow.

Eryn Jean Norvill is a beautiful, ethereal Ophelia in a very impressive MTC debut. Her stately voice gives Ophelia grace and dignity, even when she goes mad, as all Ophelia’s do. Her early scene with brother Laertes (Tim Ross) is intimate to the point of being icky, though. Is it necessary for brother and sister to be rolling all over each other on her bed? Norvill is a good match for Leslie in their most difficult scene, when Hamlet says “get thee to a nunnery”. It is much harder, I think, to be in Norvill’s shoes in this scene, and she is brilliant.

Yes, there are faults with this Hamlet, but overall it’s cool, smart, thrilling theatre, and not to be missed.

  

 

 

 

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.