 |
| Melbourne Theatre Company's production of "Constellations" by Nick Payne |
There’s always something potent about a two-hander about
people meeting. We can all empathise with the simple, often relatively benign
moment, when we first meet someone. When we first introduce ourselves. When we
first start a conversation just to see what happens. It’s a dramatic cliche
that instead of having someone come through a door, have them come through a
window. But how we meet peopple isn’t always dramatic, but in many ways there
is always the potential for dramatic tension.
I’ve seen three plays this week about two people meeting and
how their relationships develop over years, one night and several months. The
Melbourne Theatre Company is currently staging “Constellations” by Nick Payne.
Bridget Balodis’ production of John Patrick Shanley’s “Danny and the Deep Blue
Sea” is on at Rancho Notorious, above 1000 Pound Bend. And RoundSquare’s first show
is a production of “The Shape of Things” by Neil LaBute, at the No Vacancy
Gallery at QV.
While only “Constellations” and “Danny” are actually
two-handers, “The Shape of Things” turns on the relationship of one couple –
Adam and Evelyn, ably supported by the compare-and-contrast relationship of
Phillip and Jenny.
In “Constellations”, Marianne and Roland meet. And meet. And
meet. And meet. And we see many derivations of their relationship, seeing how
their lives together (and sometimes not together) would differ based on the
choices they make along the way. Marianne is a theoretical physicist and she
explains the “many worlds” theory of the universe, to make just a little bit of
sense out of the non-conventional structure of the play.
But the key to the play is the sweetness and the lightness
of touch. We may be all at sea to how all these various threads connect, but in
each encounter, we empathise with these two characters. Meetings can be easy,
they can be awkward, they can be rich and funny or dull and forgettable. And
some of these meetings can lead to friendships or relationships or to
nothing... but you never know which will lead to what. And so on. And so forth.
Letitia Caceres keeps the show tight but allows the actors
to really strut their stuff. We are engaged by Alison Bell’s lovable
awkwardness in many of the iterations of Marianne, just as we are drawn to the
sometimes lost and sometimes strong Roland, played with marvellous dexterity by
Leon Ford.
The characters at the centre of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”
are much tougher – in appearance, in temperament and physically, violently
stronger. But as much as Roland and Marianne must choose the right things to
say to each other in the many worlds they encounter each other, Danny and
Roberta need to find the right words to even talk to each other.
Danny is a violent thug; he might even be homicidal. Roberta
is a single mother, living with her parents, having trouble coping with
everything life has thrown at her. And these two meet in a bar, but worlds away
from the “meet cute” of “Constellations” or a million Hollywood romantic
comedies. The relationship between Danny and Roberta is brutal – in physicality
and language.
But they aren’t difficult to empathise with. First meetings
can be fraught, even when we go in with eyes open. When the two people are as
bruised and broken as these two, there’s a dramatic tension from the opening
moments. Bridget Balodis’ production is tight and moody; the Rancho Notorious
space is perfect for the seedy bar where this couple meets and the cramped
bedroom they find themselves in later. Olivia Monticciolo and James O’Connell
are strongest in the middle portion of the three-scene, sixty-minute play – but
that’s where Shanley’s writing is strongest, too. When the two characters are
letting their walls down, after their pants have come down, we get to see their
vulnerabilities – which is often a dramatic key for getting characters
together, but in this instance it begins as a catalyst to tear them apart.
Where Danny and Roberta’s relationship is based so strongly
on their physicality – the way they hold and carry themselves, the couple at
the centre of “The Shape of Things” begin their verbal and intellectual
sparring at minute one and the cerebral sparring continues throughout Neil
LaBute’s treatise on art and how appearance and relationships might change us.
Adam and Evelyn meet in an art gallery; Adam is a guard,
ostensibly there to protect the art and Emily is an artist and anarchist, there
to graffiti and piece of art she believes “isn’t true”. What is and isn’t true
is often the key to us meeting; putting our best foot forward, willing
ourselves not to make a fool in front of these people, occasionally we’ll throw
in a little white lie – to keep people interested.
They key to Adam and Evelyn’s continued interest in each
other is definitely the verbal sparring; these are college-age kids in a small
college town – intellectual rigour is a kind of mating ritual. In contrast,
Adam’s friends Phillip and Jenny seem to still be together because it’s what’s
expected – even as they express doubts in the relationship, they think they
should take the relationship to the next level.
As often with LaBute’s plays, human relationships become an
intellectual cat-and-mouse game. Sometimes this leads to characters who are
cyphers to ideas, rather than fully-rounded emotional human beings. But the
relationships in “The Shape of Things” are complicated and layered – and as we
see different combinations of the two couples meeting, we begin to get a fuller
understanding of who they all are and what parts they play in the drama.
I was intellectually-engaged throughout, but not emotionally
engaged until the climax of the piece – with Emily Wheaton’s stunning
performance, as Evelyn gives the key address of the play. And as we unlock the
secrets of the play, LaBute has a lot to say about how we use art, perceive art
but also how we perceive people and how we use them, too.
Peter Blackburn’s directorial debut is populated by a strong
cast in a great space (this show performed in an art gallery when the key
pieces of work in the current display are inspired by “The Shape of Things”),
but the pacing is a little off in the first half. The scene transitions are
lengthy and the structure of LaBute’s work require real pace throughout; it’s
one thing to nail the scenes, but if the scene changes drag, we lose some of
that dramatic tension in the experience. Luckily, the second half barrels along
and the climax and final scenes between Wheaton’s Evelyn and Josh Blau’s Adam
are a joy and a heartbreak to watch.
Sometimes we must choose our words, choose our actions and choose how we hold ourselves. Sometimes, if we choose all three, we're bound to make an impression.
“Constellations” plays at Fairfax until March 23.
“Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” plays at Rancho Notorious
until March 16.
“The Shape of Things” plays at No Vacancy until March 24.
Comments