There I was hanging around in the bar at the Old Mill
Theatre not long after today’s matinee had concluded. In strolls the writer,
Mister Noel O’Neill. We clock each other, exchange “I haven’t seen you in a
long time” pleasantries and (in surely a moment of weakness) I buy him a beer.
Chink of glass before we go outside to sit in the glorious Mother’s Day
sunshine to have a chat.
Part of the discussion is how prolific Noel is as a
playwright but more to the point, how he has two emerging strands of play – the
more serious fare (Under Any Old Gum Tree,
Holly and Ivy) and the ‘kitchen table
comedy’ of which It’s All Greek To Me
is clearly a member and includes the two part trilogy (come on Noel, surely
there’s a third in you!) Confetti from
Graceland and Spaghetti and Graceland.
These are quite literally set around the kitchen table (an
excellent set today) and involve the squabbles and heightened comic-drama of a
family in some form of domestic flux.
Here it is the philandering Nicky Plankos
(Kim Taylor) who cheats on his wife Athena (Vivienne Marshall) with the
seemingly insatiable Circe (Nada Dilevska). His life is complicated by
dim-witted son Dimitri (Cameron Leese), pregnant daughter Jenna (Valerie
Dragojevic), and the antics of the suspicious Athena who has a propensity for
flinging herself off the roof. Add a curse put on him by Circe and the arrival
of his cousin Stavros ( Emilio Evangelopoulos) from Greece expecting to find a
beautiful wife waiting for him and Nicky has his hands full. There’s nothing
for it but to call in the shonky oracle Andronokos (Rex Gray) to help find the
girl of Stavros’ dreams. Will it be Katarina (Jessica Stenglein) who arrives to
tell Nicky she doesn’t want to be there?
Well, no, it won’t but everything is tied up neatly, the
curse is lifted and everyone lives happily ever after whilst dancing off stage
to the exit.
If you’re looking for a searing exploration of the human
spirit then this ain’t it. If you’re after a couple of hours of fun entertainment
then you’ve come to the right place. It’s no doubt that this is a crowd pleaser
as the happy murmur of the audience attests to after the play finished. Noel
was called away from our chat as a group of people wanted to tell him how much
they enjoyed his writing. Ever the gentleman he was only too happy to oblige. Fair
play, Sir.
The comedy has very much a 60's-70’s English vibe to it – a mix
of Benny Hill, Morecambe & Wise with Kim Taylor compared to Michael Caine’s
Alfie by more than one person and Stenglein inadvertently (as I later
discovered) creating a female Frank Spencer of a character. There’s no doubt
Taylor works hard in the lead role as he’s rarely off stage and uses constant
asides to the audience and flourishes of physical comedy especially when he is
mocking his son. Marshall is suitably shrill and melodramatic as the neglected
wife and has some lovely sight gags with Leese as the son struggles to do basic
tasks like wash his hands or feed himself. Evangelopoulos adds a shot in the
arm with his stammering, lovelorn Stavros while Stenglein’s brief appearance is
amusing.
While Noel was off talking with other audience members I
went back inside to be greeted by the director who demanded, “Did I hear you
laugh?” Given I am known for my distinctive laughter and propensity to use it I
was somewhat taken aback. Gentle mocking on both sides ensued which is one of
the things I love about community theatre - the relaxed nature and genuineness
of the people involved.
The aforementioned person is Valerie Dragojevic who I know as a talented actor but is forging a career in directing with Holly & Ivy, Snow and Ash and now It’s All Greek To Me under her belt. I also had a chance to chat with cast members Vivienne Marshall and Jessica Stenglein, lovely people who, along with their fellow cast members, put on a fun show that runs until 17 May at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth.
The aforementioned person is Valerie Dragojevic who I know as a talented actor but is forging a career in directing with Holly & Ivy, Snow and Ash and now It’s All Greek To Me under her belt. I also had a chance to chat with cast members Vivienne Marshall and Jessica Stenglein, lovely people who, along with their fellow cast members, put on a fun show that runs until 17 May at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth.
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