Shut Your Eyes & Think of England

Gold Coast Little Theatre

June 2014

It’s a tried and tested formula and really, rather a simple plot.   A British aristocrat conspires to cheat on his wife, defraud his own company and rip off a squillionaire Arab Sheik and all before 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning! In the process, he takes ill, his accountant becomes him, his elicit squeeze becomes the accountant’s wife and then, even though the accountant (now the businessman) technically had to sack himself, he plays camp to put them off the scent. The old man’s illness is misinterpreted as a gay lover, Sir Fredrick isn’t quite as honourable as his business cards might have one believe and the solicitor is mistaken for a Doctor! Meanwhile the sick and hallucinating toff’s real wife is stuck on the accountant and the accountant’s real wife is terribly confused … that is until she mysteriously falls in love with the Sheik.

Oh God … it’s a travesty … and now I’ve confused myself! And I was going so well.

The reality is, the British farce is the original “situation comedy” - a classic theatrical art form that is, if I’m honest, probably a bit dated but still manages to raise more than a few laughs. It’s almost so silly, one can’t help but laugh and I suppose that, in a nutshell, is the point.

Shut Your Eyes & Think of England is, on the whole, well cast and effectively played. David Edwards and Nicola den Braber play the clichéd “boring accountant” Arthur Pullen and his equally as uninteresting wife Joyce. These two work very hard in this physical production and really do make you laugh. Robert Fallon plays the philandering knight, Sir Justin Holbrook, with charming aplomb and likewise, Amanda-Lee Weatherby fits very comfortably into the “night girl” come personal assistant with a delightfully cheeky edge. Whilst I’m on the subject, I should mention Brian Wilson’s lovely performance in the role of Lawyer Mr. Rubenstein … Yes, he does look like a doctor!

The set is more than adequate and the plethora of practicable doors required to stage such a farce are there and swinging constantly. Would I have designed it differently? Yes. Does that matter? No. While I sometimes thought the stage blocking could have been better paced, the overall direction is quite ok. My only observation was that there seemed to be a few moments where people stood idle watching the action and appeared to be simply awaiting their own next line. Perhaps they need something more to do in order to keep up the energy and pace.

However, that said, the audience certainly seemed to enjoy this silly insight into the lives of some rather strange characters on an unfortunate London morning. And if the audience is laughing, then clearly that’s a job well done.

The Removalists

The Gold Coast Little Theatre

Saturday 29^th March, 2014

 

In typical David Williamson style, The Removalists is confronting, amusing, insightful, dramatic and completely lacking of an ending … but who really cares?

Opening last Friday evening at The Gold Coast Little Theatre in Southport, this classic piece of Australian writing is a look back at a time in the 1970s, when calling the police to attend a domestic dispute might simply result in even more violence.

Jack Henry & Patrick Monteath

 Directed by newcomer Patrick Monteath, The Removalists moves along at a nice pace … until the furniture has all gone, then it seems to stall for a while. However there is a very real, sometimes bordering on uncomfortable, sense of drama and pathos to this play and Mr Monteath has worked his cast well so as nobody is left on stage without action or purpose at any time. I lost count of how many cups of tea the removalist (Bruce Alkner Jr.) made … it was a nice character trait, it was great action and, well, it was funny.

Another pleasant piece of action was the scene change in Act I in which we are literally transported from the police station to the apartment by means of a cheeky driver, a clever set design and a well-choreographed stage crew. The set was designed by the director (with the assistance of Darren Campbell and Michael Sutton). While the concept, as I have mentioned, is clever, the finishing lets it down a little … it’s all just too clean and “freshly painted”. However, it’s a very well thought-out stage - the final moment is a particularly clever one and again, nicely played by the man in the overalls, Bruce Alker Jr.

Jack Henry plays the pivotal role; the old school Sargent Dan Simmonds and the director steps into uniform as his new recruit, Constable Ross. I liked the relationship these two developed throughout the play – their diametrically opposed characters were quickly established and never waned. GCLT regular Kate McNair is totally believable as the concerned, pearl-wearing big sister and Fiona Carter plays the abused wife, Candice, with a really endearing innocence and a thoroughly believable fear. 

Sean Curran & Fiona Carter

In the white singlet, VB in hand, is Sean Curran. As always, Mr Curran brings a superb energy to the stage and really seems to absorb himself in his tortured, self-destructive character.

I’ve said this often in the past: combining the roles of actor & director on stage almost never works. However I understand that there were casting problems that all but forced the director to assume a main role late in the production process (and, despite the pressures, he played it very well) so I’m not going to dump on him for stepping up to the plate. That act in itself displays a respect for his cast and a desire to protect the show. Although I really feel that, had he have been in a position to sit out front a little more frequently, he’d have afforded himself a greater opportunity to tune the dynamics of each (very strong) performance a little more finely and that may have been beneficial. None-the-less, if you can deal with strong themes of domestic violence, this is a quality drama with just enough laughs to leave us feeling emotionally exhausted but not ruined.

Mrs Brown Rides Again

Brisbane Entertainment centre

March 22^nd 2014

 

Brendan O'Carroll as Mrs Brown

In 1992 in Ireland, a little-known pub comic and his partner had secured a four-minute radio comedy spot in which the writer had planned to create a radio serial based upon a typical widowed Irish Mammy and her adult children. However as the small ensemble prepared to record the first shows, news came through that the middle-aged actress booked to play the lead character, Agnes Brown, had taken ill and wouldn’t make the recording session. In a moment of combined desperation and genius, Brendan O’Carroll raised his voice up a tone and read the lines himself … and an international comedy icon was born.

Of course it would take some years, a lot of gumption and no doubt many a sleepless night to get Mrs Brown’s Boys to the TV screens and to achieve the worldwide success that it enjoys today. There is little doubt that the caustic-tongued Irish widow has “made it” … and this week it was Brisbane’s turn to experience first-hand the razor sharp wit of the dysfunctional family Brown and their cardigan-wearing, hanky-clutching Mammy in Mrs Brown Rides Again.

I’ve heard fellow cast-members (including the star’s actual wife, Jennifer Gibney) talk of how they work in a state of constant “fear” on stage of his “rabbit trap-fast wit” and his penchant for throwing in ad-lib lines and actions. Regular viewers of his TV series will remember countless outrageous moments when even the cast can’t maintain a straight face, let alone the crew or the live studio audience. Mrs Brown’s devotees were not to be disappointed when, in their thousands this past weekend, they streamed into the vast Brisbane Entertainment Centre to witness this comedy phenomena live on stage.

From the moment the lights dim and the dumpy housewife with a laugh like a machine gun first appears to the curtain call and standing ovation, some two and a half hours later, one just can’t stop laughing. Many of the gags and storylines we can now recognise from the various TV episodes but that somehow doesn’t detract from their magic when presented live. I heard Sinatra sing on the radio and on recordings for decades … but nothing prepared me for actually seeing him live.

The ad-libs came fast and furious – poor Rory Cowan (one of O’Carroll’s longest associates) could barely speak when he sat down with his dear ole mammy for a “serious” chat” … and she interjected with: “First, I’ve got a bum joke for you!” … And proceeded with telling the joke! Priceless! Cowan was in tears with laughter – O’Carroll sat there looking as innocent as a babe and the ten-thousand strong crowd just lapped it up. “I remember writing this scene” he innocently quipped as his co-star tried desperately to compose himself sufficiently to speak … “and it didn’t go for this long!” More laughter.

O’Caroll’s real-life sister Eilish O’Carroll, plays the winsome neighbour, Winnie McGoogen and, like the other much-loved members of his immediate family, he appears to take great delight in throwing her concentration on stage – much to the amusement of the hugely adoring audience. Then there’s poor Gary Hollywood who (at the performance I saw) copped no fewer than four solid whacks around the ears with a folded up tea towel in his ever-suffering role of Dino (Rory’s partner).

Brendan O’Carroll’s is an inspiring story – the young waiter from Finglas, Ireland who found he had a gift for making people laugh. Who grew up in tough times –and somehow managed to avoid the perils that often befall bored schoolboys trapped in harsh housing estates. However he and his ten siblings were brought up by a tough Mammy with a heart of solid gold and who was no doubt, the principal inspiration for his on-screen persona.

In his programme introduction, O’Carroll pays homage to one of his (and my) greatest theatrical heroes, Dame Edna Everage (AKA Barry Humphries). In my humble blog, I pay homage to Mr O’Carroll: for following a dream with all the determination of a starving bull-mastiff with a dropped sausage – for not listening to the “nay-sayers” and for believing in his “inner-mammy” and bringing his beautiful sense of lunacy to the World. It’s wonderfully entertaining; it’s uplifting … it’s feckin hilarious! 

The Unexpected Guest

Gold Coast Little Theatre

Saturday 25^th January 2014

  

Of her 17 published plays, Dame Agatha Christie listed The Unexpected Guest among her favourites - the intriguing tale of a stranded traveller, looking to use a phone late one foggy evening in May. As he approaches the Warwick’s grand country home he happens upon an attractive young lady in the dark, holding a gun and standing over the body of her wealthy but not terribly popular, husband. In typical Christie style, the challenge is to guess “whodunit” before the big revelation in the final scene. I must agree with the playwright … this plot line is a corker!

And so, a very appropriate way for the Gold Coast Little Theatre to begin its 2014 season – with a most enjoyable production of The Unexpected Guest. Director Andrew Trump has made the curious decision to set the piece, written and set originally in the late 1950s, in the modern day. While that works on the whole (and the very thought of the late Ms Christie banging out the word “E-mail” on her old Royal typewriter amuses me no end) … it’s a little hard to ignore the fact that none of the characters have mobile phones. The detective awaits calls from the station on the victim’s landline – the “unexpected guest”, having bogged his car, seeks out a phone to call for a tow truck. I sometimes wonder if re-setting a period piece in the modern day is actually a creative device to make an old script more appealing to a contemporary audience … or if it’s just laziness. However it appears, as far as the story goes anyway, to have worked in this instance - even if it does seem to diminish some of the magic (and dare I say the suspense) of the classic nature of such a play.

Jimmy Odenbreit & Marja-Liisa Rintala

In the title role is a local actor, who has been building up quite an impressive body of work over recent years, Jimmy Odenbreit. Mr Odenbreit’s performance is invigorating and thoroughly believable. He gazes around the stage as if he’s never been there before - every word he speaks is as though he’s just thought of it and is saying it for the very first time. Marja-Liisa Rintala plays the grieving widow beautifully and cleverly allows the audience to see the performance within her performance. These two develop quite a rapport in the first act as he attempts to help her cover what he assumes to be her abhorrent crime … or does he?

The remaining seven members of the cast play their respective roles well – their characters clearly defined. As difficult as these “catalogue of clues” type of plays can be to follow, I found that I missed none of the important facts. (I am proud to boast that I managed to accurately “finger” the murderer quite early in the second act.) Before moving away from the cast, I should mention Mitchell Walsh in the role of the “slow” son, Jan - another most believable and enjoyable performance from this young QUT student.

The stage set by Michael Sutton is superb – the polished timber floor (hand painted I believe) is a triumph of scenic art. While I found the lighting a little flat in places (although I accept that it’s not easy to back light actors when they are sat hard against the set wall) I think that technically, this production over-all is strong.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the GCLT for 2014 and I would confidently recommend The Unexpected Guest to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a quality night at the Theatre. See if you can follow the clues and work out “whodunit!”

Glenn T