Review: Emergency

Six short plays under the Emergency banner by NIDA' six 2008 graduating directors, presented in two theatres on the one Saturday afternoon = dilemma! Which to see?

Eventually The Space program won out, and regardless of what happened in The Studio — most likely also wonderful — it could not have been a happier choice.

The pathos of And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens (written by Tennessee Williams and directed by David Harmon}, the menace of In the Solitude of Cotton Fields (written by Bernard-Marie Koltes, translated by Jeffery Wainwright and directed by Morgan Dowsett), and the absurdist exuberance of The Bald Soprano (written by Eugene Ionesco and directed by Sarah Giles) all provided stimulating experiences showcasing the not-to-be-ignored talent of Australian theatre's stars of the future.

There was brilliant use of technology, lighting and space in the set design for the overtly homosexual Tennessee Williams play — a play, incidentally, which was never performed during the writer’s lifetime. The projection of an azure, tropical bay of islands on to a bamboo blind created the perfect illusion of opulence and position.

Early tension is deftly created between Karl (Anthony Taufa), a hunkily buff but short-tempered and bullishly homophobic young sailor, and Candy (Anthony Gooley), a wealthy transvestite interior designer with an old-fashioned commitment to monogamy.

Jerry (Kurt Phelan) and Alvin (Mike Sheasby), the ever-hovering rent-boy tenants, try to warn and protect Candy, but no one is in doubt about the fall to come.

When the inevitable does arrive (and despite the foreknowing) the sadness of exposed false hope and deluded expectation is extremely moving and clearly the result of some very fine performances.

The second play, In the Solitude of Cotton Fields, is entirely different. It is an intensely wordy work that requires concentration and attention. It raises questions and supplies few answers. Who are the characters? What is on offer and what is being sought?

The Client (Aimee Horne) and The Dealer (Dale March) meet in a bare and barren space that becomes their world; nothing else might exist. Their appearance is stark and threatening, with lighting designed to increase the brooding threat of violence.

The perception of danger is maintained even through the actors' bows — an excellent performance of a challenging work. If Morgan Dowsett’s aim was to create a barbarous and animalistic encounter of dark intent then he has succeeded admirably.

The Bald Soprano laughs at modern suburban life in middle-class England. It is set in the living room of Mr and Mrs Smith (Garth Holcombe and Sheridan Harbridge), who are visited by Mr and Mrs Martin (Brett Rogers and Paige Gardiner).

The Smiths' maid (Jacinta Acevski) and the Fire Captain (Yalin Ouzucelik) make random appearances.

The play is full of absurdity, meaningless banter, unintelligible and contradictory stories, silly poems and crazy conversations.

When first seen, the play was described as a parody, but, in an essay written to his critics, Ionesco said he had no intention of parody, but if he were parodying anything, it would be everything.

For example, the final scene contains stage instructions to start the performance over from the very beginning, with the Martin couple substituted for the Smith couple and vice versa. Silly indeed and immensely enjoyable.

The laughter, and there is much of it, comes from the merry inanity of it all, and the skilled and enthusiastic performances. The sequence of elastic facial contortions by Paige Gardiner portraying expressions through astonishment, to elation, to happiness and bliss are sublime.

Well done all! A thoroughly great set of performances and a high-distinction-level result for the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

NOTE 2: The three plays in the Studio Program were: Fortune and Men's Eyes (written by John Herbert and directed by Kate Revz); This Property Is Condemned (written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Imara Savage); and How I Learned to Drive (written by Paula Vogel and directed by Mark Grenfell).

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