One of the interesting aspects of the burgeoning Fringe
World Festival is the number of unusual venues pressed into service to
accommodate 700 shows. This one aptly titled The Hidden Bar was nestled in a
Tapas restaurant on Aberdeen Street.
A temporary stage constructed of four
blocks had been erected at one end of the bar. Narrow rows of seats extended
along the bar back towards the entrance. The relatively small stage space was
perfect for this two-hander written by the celebrated playwright David Mamet.
The setting was a professor’s office as John (Andrew O’Connell) meets with one
of his students Carol (Rosalba Verrucci) who is struggling to comprehend his
class.
Normally Carol is portrayed as a young woman and this
heightens the sexual tension between older professor and female student. In an
intriguing reversal, here Carol is the older of the two which changes that
dynamic. The play has three razor sharp defined acts in what amounts to a
struggle for control between two characters of seemingly mismatched standing.
Status and power become a contested battleground in the context of a bastion of
higher education and gender politics.
The first act sees John in the ascendancy; the second rocks
that assumption as everything we saw is turned on its head as Carol makes
accusations regarding his behaviour; while the third puts Carol in the driver’s
seat with a brutal punctuation point of a conclusion. The stakes are ratcheted
up as John wants to secure tenure at the University which will bring status,
monetary reward and the ability to buy a new house with his wife. All of these trappings of privilege come under direct threat as his attempts to control the situation
only make matters worse.
The drama is heightened because you could argue that both
characters are right and both are wrong in their entrenched positions. How you
perceive the validity or ‘justice’ of what transpires may depend entirely on
your own perceptions and moral framework. That makes for deliciously compelling
drama and, no doubt, the potential for animated debate long after the show
ends.
The acting is very strong here in trying circumstances. The
3pm show was conducted in sweltering conditions – kudos to both actors for
literally keeping their cool. This is a Mamet play so not only does it feature huge
swathes of tricky dialogue, it demands that the actors overlap lines as they
verbally joust. This can be very awkward when there are pauses and hesitation
but O’Connell and Verrucci riff off each other very well. I also enjoyed the
subtle changes in body language as John’s superiority is diminished and Carol
becomes more assertive. The play ends on a surprisingly brutal note that is
extremely well executed.
As I was watching the first act unfold it felt like an
intellectual exercise that was flirting with overstaying its welcome. But when
the shift comes it does so with economical brevity that propels this into compelling
territory indeed. The strength of the writing and delivery is that I could
empathise with both ‘sides’ so was torn as this played out. No small feat in
what were trying conditions for the audience as well as the actors. This is a
fascinating and deftly constructed battle between two opposing and combustible
viewpoints that is well acted and staged with the climax actually rocking the
stage such was its force.
Oleanna is written by David Mamet, directed by Robert
Jeffreys, and stars Rosalba Verrucci and Andrew O’Connell. It is on at The
Hidden Bar in Northbridge until 21 February.
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