Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches - Black Swan State Theatre Company (30 May 2016)

There are many things other than angels hovering over Tony Kushner’s generally recognised modern master work – Reagan’s America, the impending turn of the century, fear and prejudice as the AIDS virus takes hold, a sense of mortality as we are buffeted by politics, religion, disease, and our own weaknesses. It is gloriously theatrical, brutal, funny, confronting, compassionate, but above all else human. It deals with the inner turmoil of failing to cope with a loved one who is dying under terrible circumstances or mentally decaying before your eyes; the denial of one’s own sexuality through either expediency or guilt; the yearning for connection and love even in the most terrible of circumstances. Within those dilemmas and human interactions is a precise sense of time and place. The coming end of the millennium is truly an earth shattering event.

Black Swan’s production is a finely acted and stylish piece of theatre that befits the rightly lauded writing. The first half of this preview flew by in a dazzling 90 minutes. The second half gets a little funky as the hallucinations and visitations become bolder until it all ends in a crescendo that has you wishing Part Two was but a dinner break away.

The stage is flanked by impressive lighting rigs that are utilised in style by lighting designer Matt Scott from the stark whiteness of Antarctica to night time interludes in Central Park to the announcement of a divine messenger. There is judicious use of music by Ash Gibson Greig including a gorgeous version of Moon River on only violin and piano in a moment that is both joyous and heartbreaking as AIDS ravaged Prior Walter (Adam Booth) dances with his estranged lover Louis Ironson (Will O’Mahony).   

The set takes full advantage of the technical wizardry available at the Heath Ledger Theatre. Director Kate Cherry and Set Designer Christina Smith have wisely gone for a minimalist look with settings represented only by a key piece of furniture – Ray Cohn’s desk, a wash basin, a settee, a hospital bed etc that all effortlessly glide into place. The transitions are slick and the focus is on the performances and Kushner’s prose that is, at turns, poetic, cruel, dagger sharp or slyly funny. And make no mistake there is great humour to be found here amongst the emotional tumult. The climactic ending summons the full arsenal of lighting, sound, costuming, and set design as the world literally falls in on Prior.

The standout performance of the first half belongs to Jo Morris who plays Harper, a woman struggling to deal with her own demons including fear of climate change and the strange noises coming from the bedroom. Reliant on Valium, Harper conjures imaginary friends and hallucinations with a self-awareness that is funny but laced with poignancy. Morris displays wonderful comic timing especially in the hallucination sequences which she tackles with relish. But the irrational fears and reliance on pills are given harrowing treatment as well. The second half suffers a little from her lessened presence except for the bravura Antarctica sequence that is a highlight for Morris.

The other standouts are Adam Booth as Prior who gives an emotionally truthful performance as a man not only dying from AIDS but devastated at Louis’ withdrawal; and O’Mahony as Louis who has a complex arc as he seeks solace in his ‘betrayal’ by engaging in acts of cold, random sex while striking up an unlikely friendship with Harper’s husband Joseph Porter Pitt (Stuart Halusz). Joe has denied his sexuality until finally confessing he is a homosexual over the phone to his mother in an all too real awkward moment of self-loathing and revelation. Prior and Louis coming to terms with their relationship and Prior’s imminent death is the backbone of the second half with Booth and O'Mahony compelling.

John Stanton plays the loathsome lawyer and power broker Ray Cohn with expletive laden relish but it’s in the quieter moments where he excels – the scene with Joe at a bar and his confrontation with a ghost from the past are memorable. The rationalisation Cohn gives on learning of his medical condition is delivered with chilling pragmatism by Stanton – status and power are the only language the character understands and deals in. Halusz in many ways has the trickiest role as his Joe is an earnest character who denies his true self and remains principled in the face of Cohn’s temptations and his wife’s descent into fantasy. He plays the Mormon lawyer with a straight forwardness that works in contrast to the showier roles around him and acts as a foundation of sorts for the audience.

The only weakness is Kenneth Ransom’s dual roles of Harper’s imaginary friend Mr Lies and the gay drag queen Belize. The latter simply isn’t flamboyant enough and the former lacks any flair. Both are opportunities to ‘go large’ but ended up being flat portrayals barely differentiated from each other. Felicity Mckay and Toni Scanlon round out the cast with Scanlon especially engaging as the Rabbi.

I enjoyed the superb first half more than the second which had some odd scenes that seemed somewhat extraneous (largely revolving around Joe’s mother coming to New York) or verging into Pythonesque territory (Prior’s ancestors visiting his sick bed). Otherwise this was an excellent production that showcased Black Swan’s considerable technical and performance capabilities.

Written by Tony Kushner, Directed by Kate Cherry and starring Adam Booth, Stuart Halusz, Felicity Mckay, Jo Morris, Will O’Mahony, Kenneth Ransom, Toni Scanlon, and John Stanton, Angels in America, Part One is on at the Heath Ledger Theatre until 19 June.   

*photos by Daniel James Grant

Glengarry Glen Ross - Black Swan State Theatre Company (26 May 2015)

I’ll say one thing about Black Swan they sure do create wonderful sets for their productions. This one on a Revolve had a restaurant configuration with multiple booths on one side and a real estate office on the other. The level of detail was excellent, especially the freshly burgled office of the second act. Curiously though, unless my eyes deceived me, there was no Board which is referred to several times and the means by which the characters ‘keep score’ in the dog eat dog world of real estate sales. It’s an odd oversight.

The other aspect that undercut the stage presentation was the use of incidental sound – firstly with some cheesy, piped oriental stylings under the restaurant scenes; and with a car horn soundscape in the second act clearly on a loop. The former was particularly distracting. This is David Mamet who is famous above all for his dialogue. Why water it down with such a superfluous element?

To the performances in the third and final preview and this really was a mixed bag for me. The play starts with pairings in the booths – Shelley Levene (Peter Rowsthorn) and the office manager (Will O’Mahony) in one scene; followed by Dave Moss (Kenneth Ransom) and George Arronow (Luke Hewitt); then Ricky Roma (Damian Walshe-Howling) and Steve Turner’s timid prospect James Lingk. Competition is fierce and only those on top of the board will get the premium Glengarry leads. Roma is top dog; Levene is past his used by date but desperate to capture former glories; and Moss cajoles George into contemplating more drastic measures to avoid being fired.

I found Rowsthorn far too over the top both in exaggerated mannerisms and acting style to have any sympathy for Levene. His performance immediately kept me at arm’s length from the whole endeavour which was unfortunate. He starts at such a high pitch that there’s nowhere for him to go. Ransom struggled early in his opening scene but was helped out of a hole by Luke Hewitt who struck me as someone who would have done Levene far more justice. His simpleminded George was well pitched for mine.

Walshe-Howling fared quite well as the smooth talking and cocky Roma but the whole thing only found a rhythm deep into the production in two sequences - when Turner’s customer arrives in the office to withdraw his buy order; and O’Mahony’s retort to Levene’s admonishment after his intervention cruels Roma’s sale.

In stark contrast to the maelstrom of flailing limbs and overly gleeful swearing, Turner’s stillness as Lingk clutches a valise to his chest and quietly conveys his wife’s wishes is a welcome contrast and Walshe-Howling modulates his performance accordingly. It’s a quieter moment that facilitated an interesting scene whereas everything before felt overdone and too much of a caricature for all involved. It also allows for a build to the infamous Ricky Roma tirade instead of the whole play being pitched at the same heightened level. Likewise for O’Mahony who is dressed down by Levene only to push back with the reveal around which the story ultimately pivots. Again, it’s a far more considered moment.

This is only sporadically funny with Hewitt’s George really being the lynchpin to genuine laughs in his reaction to Ransom’s overplayed Moss. The character portrayed by Ben Mortley really doesn’t have much to do and I found him strangely passive in the face of Roma’s arrogance given his rank as a Detective.

Overall I was disappointed by Glengarry Glen Ross – yes, they’re supposed to be larger than life characters in what is described as a ‘vicious comedy’ but I was longing for some, indeed any, nuance to really let this fly.

The play is directed by Kate Cherry and is on at the Heath Ledger Theatre until 14 June.

Dinner - Black Swan State Theatre Company (14 March 2015)

Saturday night was the first preview of the Moira Buffini black comedy Dinner starring Rebecca Davis, Stuart Halusz, Greg McNeill, Kenneth Ransom, Steve Turner, Alison Van Reeken and Tasma Walton and directed by Kate Cherry. It is the tale of the dinner party from hell as hostess Paige (Walton) celebrates the successful release of her husband’s self-help book with a few select friends.

It quickly turns out that Paige and her spouse Lars (Steve Turner) aren’t exactly the happiest of couples as they await the arrival of artist Wynne (Van Reeken) and her politician beau Bob (a no show due to a breakup prompted by an unfortunate Wynne portrait); and Sian (Davis), the jaded “sexpot” newsreader, and her older husband, microbiologist Hal (McNeill) on a foggy English evening. An imposing waiter (Ransom), especially hired for the evening, has explicit instructions as he silently goes about his work. Paige is put out by Wynne’s solo arrival as everything has been carefully planned. A further spanner is thrown into the works when Mike (Halusz) turns up asking to use a telephone after having an accident due to the fog. 

What follows is a bout of verbal sparring as the bitchy Paige serves increasingly ridiculous dishes seemingly designed to humiliate her guests and husband. Mike’s arrival adds a new dynamic as his real purpose for being there is revealed and he is decidedly not of the usual ilk these people would associate with. A further trial is introduced as Paige insists on a game to be played whereby she asks each person in turn to spend two minutes talking to a subject she has placed in separate envelopes. It all ends in tragedy as twists and revelations come to the fore.  

While the plot is really no more than an excuse to put various character types in close proximity and watch them dangle, there are some genuinely funny moments here. Walton, resplendent in a figure hugging designer gown, is all tightly wound vitriol as she prods and torments and abuses all and sundry. Davis, elegant and leggy in another designer dress, is blunt and aloof as Sian amusingly speaks her mind without any kind of filter or care for others’ judgements. Turner gives Lars a certain self-satisfied smugness with all the self-help mumbo-jumbo a counterpoint to Paige’s venom. He portrays the husband’s increasing annoyance and frustration with her more as a slow fuse than outright explosion.

Van Reeken’s Wynne who is in love with Lars is the sort of new age, vegetarian, earth mother artist who despises the C word (which gets quite the work out) that would rile any dinner guest after a while. McNeill’s Hal is accomplished but unhappy even with a new trophy wife. Paige’s attacks on him, particularly in reference to his first wife and love of his life, are most cruel. Then there’s Mike who is a necessary wildcard to proceedings and a catalyst for further mischief. Halusz initially plays him as the straightforward working class man who has stumbled into something out of his usual reckoning but slowly becomes cockier as he takes stock of who he’s up against. That he forms an alliance of sorts with Paige is most subversive. 

The dinner table is set on a revolving platform that is always in motion as the meals are served which allows us to see all of the actors’ expressions and reactions as scenes progress. The table itself and chairs are see-through plastic to help with visibility in what otherwise could have been a static and visually awkward presentation. I especially liked the use of smoke effects to depict the fog whenever the outside door was opened as various characters escaped for a breather or to liberate misfortunate crustaceans. Indeed the ‘live lobsters’ were a fascinatingly dark comic moment.

There were points the pace flagged – notably when the two minute discussions switched to Lars and Wynne’s back story. Other characters became mere spectators especially the up-to-that-point talkative Mike so it felt a little artificial and also a curious sequence in that it seemed to favour Lars instead of belittle him. Given the ending (which, for mine, was telegraphed anyway), I also didn’t quite understand what Paige’s real intentions were in the various ‘movements’ of the dinner. The Mike character ultimately felt like a device as the writing seemed to vacillate about who and what he really was depending on the situation.

However, if you like your comedy jet black and your insults like a dagger to the heart you’ll enjoy Dinner with its absurdist culinary delights and vitriolic dialogue. There are two more previews on Monday and Tuesday with the show opening on Wednesday 18^th March and running until 29 March.