Review: Ring Round the Moon

Attending a play at The Genesian Theatre is like stepping into a time machine. The original church building dates from the 1860s and often the plays chosen for performance there are period pieces that suit the tiny space and atmosphere beautifully.

Ring round the Moon is no exception. Christopher Fry’s adaptation of the original 1947 French production L’Invitation au Chateau (Invitation to the Castle) by Jean Anouilh is a stroll back to elegant, genteel times when dressing for dinner, knowing which knife or fork to use, and sitting properly were all important to social standing.

Set in the stately home of Madame Desmortes (Sandra Bass), the story revolves around her nephews, twins Hugo and Frederic (both played by Tim Hanna). Although physically identical, the brothers are polar opposites in personality. Hugo is confident, manipulative and pragmatic. Frederic is shy, self-effacing and incurably romantic.

A ball is being held, and Hugo plots to undo the engagement of Frederic to the spoiled and insincere Diana (Carissa Teeling) by employing the lovely dancer Isabelle (Vanessa Coffey) to sabotage the relationship. Ostensibly Hugo does this to save his brother from heartbreak because he knows Diana loves him instead, and she has settled for Frederic as second best. What Hugo refuses to admit (even to himself) is that he reciprocates Diana’s feelings.

Complications develop, naturally, and thus the evening is set for misunderstanding, amusement, upset, redemption and resolution.

Peppered with Wilde-like witticisms, director Joyce Birch quotes a critique of Ring Round The Moon as a “soufflé with razor blades”. I wouldn’t go quite that far. Certainly this is an enjoyable confection, with the potential for the deeper social issues touched upon to be explored in more cutting depth. In this production the characters are not painted with enough light and shade to fully realise the observations around social convention, the foibles and double standards of the upper class and the consequences of manipulation and single-minded opportunism.

For reasons unexplained in the program — and I would have been interested to know why — Birch has set the play in Edwardian times. The set design is elegant and effective, and the costumes divine. Congratulations to Peter Henson on both counts.

The challenges around a large cast on a small stage are generally well handled with minimal blocking issues, although I did hold my breath a couple of times as actors squeezed past one another!

Most memorable performances were Sandra Bass as the wonderfully dry, wise and mischievous Madame Desmortes, Tim Hanna ably juggling the dual roles of Hugo and Frederic, and Vanessa Coffey’s sensitive portrayal of Isabelle.

A minor quibble was the program layout. Without a précis and with microscopic cast photos, it was difficult to quickly catch on to the relationships and complexities of the story.

Overall, however, this is an amiable way to spend a few hours — and, at the price of tickets, also an economic one. There is most certainly a place for such theatrical pieces to continue to be produced — and the Genesian is that place.

CLICK HERE to email Oz Baby Boomers with a comment regarding this play or review.