Short and Sweet Newtown: Week 7
Leisa Woodman takes a look at Newtown’s Short and Sweet Week 7…
Short and Sweet Newtown Theatre, Newtown (Sydney) Wednesday 16 February 2011 OutsourcedThis fun opener was a humorous take on combining relationship commitments with the demands of a modern career. A well timed performance from Lucy Watson gave the play real style and flavour and the parody of soulless managerial characters and corporate-speak was particularly entertaining. However the (no-doubt unintentional) suggestion that women entering high level managerial positions has led to a breakdown in family life was questionably sexist.
Expiry DateWhile there were a couple of groan-worthy gags the thrust of this play was a winner. Well cast and dialogue driven, the light comedy was woven around the intriguing concept of knowing the date of one’s own death. The emphasis on sex as the must-experience of a lifetime was a telling reflection of our culture. A simple concept well realised.
Separating The DustIn the vacuum created by the loss of a parent the family begins to crumble, with conflict erupting between brothers over money and simmering homophobia. Minimal staging works here, allowing finely paced tension to build between the male characters, also due to intense performances by Chris Turner and Tom Mesker. Gritty suburban realism and masculinity on the slab.
Deliciously AmazingOne senses some bitter experience in the writing of Deliciously Amazing. The online dating scene no doubt brings the same heart-hazards as the regular one and this is explored hilariously in this play with a twist. Player Bernie meets his match on his date with Jane, a psycho who gets her timely revenge. Very cathartic for Sydney’s frustrated singles to be sure.
Leave It At ThatThis play featured three generations of women sharing stories about their circumstances and dreams for the future and some great local writing. There was a tone similar to Requiem For A Dream as barriers and cycles of dysfunction were explored. There was some unclear casting but very good acting and direction brought the competing worlds of the women to life onstage. Working class characters were handled with dignity and shy of stereotype.
In The Company Of AntsIn this very corporate town eccentricity and special moments are lost amidst the furious rat race, with very little occurring “just because”. This work seemed a hymn to randomness, and the special people who can help us see the sunlight in our darkest hour. For those accustomed to more linear narratives it took some following, but proved a welcome contrast in the middle of the program. Silvana Lorenzo De Shute’s character, “Magnolia” was memorable.
PunkThis po-mo piece owed a debt to Chuck Palahniuk, featuring stills from Fight Club and building on the theme of emptiness in mass consumerism. A modern art dealer reflects that his accumulation of “stuff” is merely an attempt to fill a never ending void left by dissatisfying relationships and the existential condition. Great use of props and lighting to represent memory complimented a (forgivably) slightly unpolished but still very convincing performance.
The Devil’s AftershaveMatt Charleston gives a fantastic performance in this monologue about a man with an incredible sense of smell. With little staging or action it really came down to the strength of the writing and acting to carry this extraordinary tale which was meditation on prejudice and strength of the individual. Charleston didn’t miss a beat, but delivered the second performance of the night to feature a fake cigarette which perhaps directors will note, look silly – although if it is concluded to be necessary for characterisation there are few options for an indoor performance.
Billy Balfoor Want’s An ApologyThis unfortunately saw the reprisal of Chris Turner from Separating The Dust in a very similar role which could have been slightly distracting for some, but at the same time gave the audience the chance to see the demands on some of the performers. It was difficult to pinpoint which character should garner the audience’s sympathies and perhaps this was the charm of the project – the premise of whether there could possibly be a truly evil child was one that was difficult to settle definitively in the short timeframe. Strong performances contributed to this compelling complexity.
The Man Who Killed RoutineA running theme for the festival seems to have been the battle between imagination and routine, and this piece uses a courtroom scenario to allow an “everyman” to release his inner spirit, representing the conflict within that is bred from the need to conform. It was quite an original approach to staging consciousness and a highlight was the strong vocals from Miss Routine.
HomelessA touching and open-ended story about a young man’s encounter with a homeless man who may, or may not, be connected to his past. The often untenable desire for continuity in one’s own personal history is explored, again through the study of randomness. There were some measured performances throughout, such as the nice pathos generated by Brendan Hay, which complimented the spark of realism generated through the oblique happenings and lack of closure.