Wednesday 26 July 2000

The Eskimo by Matt Cameron, July 26, 2000


Where and when: Beckett Theatre until August 12, 2000
Reviewer: Kate Herbert

"They want love," says Enid. "I can't give it to them," replies Pedro.

In Matt Cameron's latest play, The Eskimo, Pedro (Peter Houghton) is a pedlar of emotions. He travels over the ice and snow to villages near the northern polar icecap, with his hawker's case filled with medicinal bottles filled with emotions, performing and selling the A to Z of emotion.

"I bottle up emotions," he says. However, love is not one of them. It is the only sentiment he is unable to store or perform for his audience in the streets.

The eskimo of the title is actually a breath-takingly beautiful  catalogue model (Anne Browning) who, like a siren, lures delivery men to her polar home, seduces them then literally takes their breath away, cutting their throats.

But it is Pedro, the cheerful, naive pedlar, who is the real emotional eskimo. He cares for Enid (Christen O'Leary) but cannot feel it or even demonstrate it. He is drawn to the model only to try to break the spell of his lack of real sentiment.

The play, like Cameron's previous works, is non-naturalistic with an absurdist edge. His sketch comedy writing skills are apparent throughout. The dialogue is swift and funny, although the pace and wit sometimes undercut the emotional layering of the narrative and disallow the characters being fully developed.

Enid, the 'widow' of one of the delivery men who disappeared, (Ian Scott) is the repository of real emotion. She suffers grief, love, pain and loss. The others are cool, remote and untouchable, particularly the photographer. (David Tredinnick)

The male gaze on the female is focal. Men lust after the catalogue model as if her photo is pornography for their titillation.

The performances are strong in this production directed by Aidan Fennessy. Houghton's pedlar is a fine study in clown. His comic business and delivery are detailed and hilarious.

The design is stark, (Christina Smith) with only a hole in the ice and a fridge in the space. The horizon features a tiny landscape of houses and the whole is lit with an evocative and striking design by Philip Lethlean.

This is a witty piece by Cameron's new company, Neonheart. What it lacks in depth it makes up in comedy.

By Kate Herbert


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