The Deep Blue Sea - Melville Theatre Company (19 July 2024)

Financial security and status versus impulsiveness and passion. One a secret, both seductive in their own ways. The rock and the deep blue sea Hester Collyer (Anna Head) finds herself caught between in Terence Rattigan's play set in post World War Two Britain. It's all too much for such a sensory woman as Hester who attempts a desperate solution to end her woes. 

It's an arresting opening to a complex and nuanced character study. Hester's tragic plan is only a shilling's worth away from succeeding. She is found unconscious in her flat by the landlady and neighbours who enlist the service of an alleged doctor and call Hester's estranged husband, Sir William Collyer (Neale Paterson) who is an eminent judge. Over the course of that day we meet Hester's lover, Freddie Page (Steven Hounsome), a former RAF pilot who struggles with his own demons by way of the bottle. We begin to understand the nature of Hester's trauma in her interactions with Freddie, Sir William, and various other characters who periodically check in on her, rightfully concerned. 

As an audience we watch in growing fascination and anxiety about where this may all end. Our deepest fears seem justified in one chilling sequence before salvation arrives from the most unlikeliest of sources. We collectively breathe a sigh of relief. It is a rollercoaster of emotions for both the characters and the viewer.

It is a handsomely staged production. Director Barry Park has wisely moved the raked seating closer to the stage which puts us right in the swirl of this most intimate of dramas. The set is beautifully lit and appointed; the costuming is excellent in representing the status and emotional hue of each character; and the original music and sound design adds tension in moments of unease. The repeated use of the song I Only Have Eyes For You takes on subtly different meanings as the story unfolds.   

All this is in service to the performances which are excellent across the board. What struck me most though was the range of those performances. The neighbours, Ann and Phillip Welch, are earnestly portrayed by Sacha Emeljanow and Rhys Lander. They seem genuine in their concern for Hester and the ramifications if the police were to be involved. Lander has a lovely sequence in the second half where that earnestness works against his character truly empathising with Hester. Head delivers Hester's barely contained sarcasm in response in withering fashion. Indeed, there are many great putdowns throughout the script. But, crucially, they are uttered casually without adding unnecessary and showy spice.

Rose McKenna and Zane Alexander add sly humour to their characters, the landlady Mrs Elton and the somewhat mysterious Mr Miller. The comic touches are a nice counterpoint and occasional respite to the drama. In McKenna's case it also disguises, or at least makes entertaining, the imparting of critical tidbits that help move the plot along. It's an amusing portrayal of a woman who can't help but reveal the sort of secrets a landlady would accrue over a lifetime of dealing with all kinds of tenants. 

Alexander crafts a most interesting arc for the enigmatic Mr Miller who is almost a bit player to begin with but blossoms into something far more compelling as his background is slowly revealed. With a clipped German accent and curt speaking style, Alexander mines a lovely seam of incidental humour before becoming a true voice of empathy in a beautifully staged sequence. It's my favourite recent performance of his. 

Alex Comstock as Jackie Jackson felt a little young for Freddie's knockabout, former RAF buddy but acquits himself well. Hounsome, as Freddie though, gives another layered performance that was a little trickier to pin down. Freddie could be construed as a cad - and there's no doubt Hounsome gives the former pilot a theatrical bent verging on narcissism at times - but there's far more at work here. His hinted at alcoholism hides fears that he is past it - as a test pilot and maybe as someone who can continue satisfying Hester's yearnings and needs. It's a nicely judged performance.

In contrast, Neale Paterson's Sir William Collyer is a representation of reason versus Freddie's theatrics and Hester's emotional tumult. Superbly attired as befitting a man of Collyer's status, Paterson is all stillness and formality. You sense that Sir William does indeed love his wife and wants her back but has no way of understanding or connecting to her emotional and physical needs. Paterson gives the judge a slightly exasperated air of someone who can't understand why money, status, and the platitudes of love aren't enough.

Then there's Anna Head as Hester. What a character. What a performance. Full of layers, complexity, and contradictions. Head plays her at times as bursting with emotion verging on the melodramatic and, at others, as repressing her true feelings whilst putting on a brace face. She can be restless onstage, prowling around or fussing about with folding clothes or polishing shoes; or still and measured when considering her next steps, some of them awful. A vast range of emotions flicker across her face as Head lets us into Hester's inner turmoil. Park knows the calibre of performer he has as his lead and lets dramatic beats linger, fully trusting Head such as in the closing moments. We sit with Hester and watch, rapt, as the play masterfully concludes. 

Barry Park continues to tackle complex plays such as The Deep Blue Sea with great precision and empathy. Several of the coterie of actors he regularly works with feature here - Head, Hounsome, Alexander & Comstock. He also enlists the services of top notch designers and crew such as Costumier Merri Ford, Lighting and Set Designer Mark Nicholson, Music Composer Myles Wright, and Sound Operator Charlie Montgomery. This is a well performed, nuanced character study that is handsomely presented and beautifully executed. Well worth a look.

The Deep Blue Sea is on at The Main Hall of the Melville Civic Centre until 3 August.  

Photos by Grant Malcolm.

The Normal Heart - GRADS (2 November 2023)

For me, one of the most magical occurrences in a theatre is when an audience goes completely silent as if holding its collective breath while watching a moment onstage. It's as if we dare not interrupt the alchemy unfolding before us. It feels primal and, in some miraculous way, time stops for the briefest instance. Such a moment happened during a monologue in the 2nd act of playwright Larry Kramer's damning indictment of the response to the burgeoning AIDS crisis in early 80s New York. 

Phil Bedworth's character, Bruce Niles, recounts the events leading up to his partner's death and its immediate aftermath. It is shocking, heartbreaking, and feels utterly authentic in its specific details. Bedworth conveys the desperation and disbelief of losing a loved one under these circumstances with an empathy that is stunning. It is an emotional highpoint of the production. 

This is where the play is at its most effective, detailing the human cost of a disease that was, at the time, ignored by the media, shunned by politicians, and barely grasped by the medical profession. The character of Ned Weeks (Zane Alexander) is based on Kramer himself who became a gay activist in response to an increasing number of his friends becoming sick and subsequently dying. He was instrumental in forming a crisis organisation and notably railed against New York mayor Ed Koch for not doing enough to fund an effective response. Kramer proved to be so confrontational that he was eventually ousted from the organisation he helped create. He did, however, raise awareness of a health crisis that would become a worldwide epidemic.

Given this, the writing roils with outrage and condemnation. Characters deliver tirades of facts and figures. There is a lot of finger pointing, both literal and figuratively, as arguments rage over the lifestyle of gay men; their right to sexual freedom; comparisons to the fate of the Jews in World War 2; the nature of love; and who is to blame. There are even announcements of the number of cases reported by the CDC that increase as the months go by. Ned mentions a few times the forty men he knows who are sick. At first it all felt a little too abstract and intellectual for mine. I wanted to see the people behind the numbers. The highlight of the first act, therefore, was the argument between Ned and his brother Ben Weeks (Dean McAskil) whose reluctance to support Ned is viewed as a betrayal and sign that Ben considers him 'sick'. 

While the first act is still powerful and disquieting the play opened up for me in the second half when the personal toll is more fully explored. That relationship between brothers is fleshed out; Ned's own partner Felix (Steven Hounsome) becomes ill; the clash between Ned and the more diplomatic president of the crisis organisation, Bruce Niles, escalates; friendships within the group are tested; and ultimately Ned has to face his own mortality reflected in his lover's fate. 

Director Barry Park has assembled a fine cast and wisely stages the production in a black box space with minimal set or props so that the focus is squarely on the performances. He is assisted, however, in no small measure by an excellent original score by Myles Wright that accentuates moments of high emotion with great subtlety. 

Accomplished performer Zane Alexander is rarely off stage as Ned Weeks who is deliberately written to be obnoxious. Alexander rises to the occasion in an outburst at mealy-mouthed government official Hiram Keebler (Phillip Steele-Young) where Ned simply can't contain his anger. There is the similar outburst directed at his brother but it's in the deepening crisis of Ned's own relationship where Alexander really shines. Kramer and Park put him through the ringer as the so-called firebrand struggles to deal with Felix's condition. It's a very physical performance with lots of big gestures and hand motions that, given how precise a director Park is, can only have been a deliberate choice. The actor had to gather himself before his final bows after reaching a crescendo of anguish and unconditional love in the closing scene. 

Steven Hounsome plays an excellent foil with his Felix being straight forward and practical compared to the histrionics of Ned. He too navigates a fraught emotional arc with great skill. Phil Bedworth delivers that devastating monologue and projects decency as a man committed to the cause but at odds with Ned in how it should be prosecuted. 

Anna Head impresses in a tricky role as Dr. Emma Brookner. Not only confined to a wheelchair, most of her dialogue feels like a diatribe designed to convey facts and figures as the 'medical representative'. However, Head imbues Brookner with a genuine sense of compassion as she fights what seems a losing battle. This is epitomised in another outburst that builds in rage until it explodes in a flurry of papers as the doctor's request for funding is denied.  

Dean McAskil makes for a compelling visual counterpoint to Alexander - he towers over the more slightly built man which is symbolic of the brothers' relationship in many ways. The lawyer, at first, seems more preoccupied with material wealth in the form of a new house than his brother's activism but there is another moment of compassion when Felix visits him to engage his services. McAskil doesn't oversell the complicated relationship with Ned which leads to a satisfying arc.

Adam Poole has a standout moment as Mickey Marcus as he launches into a monologue that verges on hysterical but given the context was earned and a jolt of theatrical adrenaline. He tackles it with a full on intensity that was even more notable given it's quite a long speech. Jordan Holloway adds a sly sense of humour (and yes, there is a certain wry humour throughout) as Tommy Boatwright which is a welcome departure from most of the more earnest characters. 

This is a much lauded script tackling an important issue that resonates to this day with the Covid-19 pandemic an immediate comparison. I could sense the playwright's vitriol and that often bursts into life but every now and then this production felt somewhat too polite and measured. If ever there was a character and an issue that invites a full-blown assault it is Ned Weeks and the egregious handling of the AIDS crisis. Having said that, this is a talented cast and consummate director bringing to life a complex script and that is to be applauded.  

The Normal Heart is on at The Actor's Hub in East Perth until 18 November 2023.