At fortyfivedownstairs, Nov 14 to Dec 2, 2012
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars:***
In Glimpse, a play devised
by eight actors and directed by Laura Maitland with Noni Hazlehurst, the lives
of many strangers intersect in obvious, obtuse or surprising circumstances
where family members conflict or strangers share intimate moments.
Glimpse has some
compelling characters and absorbing scenes, and the narrative plays with
accidental or intentional collisions between characters whose relationships are
tainted by miscommunication, abandonment, death, fear and avoidance.
Bluey, a schizophrenic,
homeless man played convincingly by Dan Hamill, opens the show with his
confronting, paranoid rant about his need for connection and protection.
Julian (Mark Diaco) the
drunk buys a gift for his lost son, and Poppy (Michala Banas) the nurse tends
to the sick, while siblings Grace (Laura Maitland) and Chris (Keith Brockett) argue
over their dying mother and James (Linc Hasler) gives a resentful eulogy at his
mother’s funeral.
Mary (Marg Downey) cares
for her sick husband and craves love from her brittle daughter, while Ziggy (Tom
Barton) runs away from his mother and writes rap songs to his long lost father.
We can see ourselves in these
people and we hope for redemption, reunion and love for these flawed
characters.
There are great
advantages in creating a play through devising and improvisation, not the least
of which is the evolution of a cohesive ensemble with commitment to the content
and characters.
There are, however,
disadvantages that are evident in Glimpse: the quality of the writing, acting
and character development is uneven, there are flaws in the dramatic structure
of the script and the quality of individual scenes is inconsistent.
Glimpse cries out for a
strong writer/dramaturg to iron out inconsistencies of style, make harsh
editorial decisions, sharpen individual scenes or eliminate some altogether,
edit lines of dialogue and provide more dynamic range and a clearer dramatic
arc.
Jason Chatfield’s inspired
set design of projected line drawings, establishes location without
interminable set changes, while Russell Goldsmith’s subtle sound design is
unobtrusive but effective.
Glimpse is an involving
production that challenges and surprises an audience and has much to recommend
it.
By Kate Herbert
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