By Nassim Soleimanpour
At Fairfax Studio Arts Centre Melbourne, until Jan 28, 2018
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ****1/2
Review also published in Herald Sun in print on Fri 25 Jan, 2018 & possibly later online (Lifestyle or Arts). KH
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| Alison Bell in Nassim |
Theatre is
usually based in artifice so, in Nassim, it is startling and compelling to
witness the raw, unembellished truthfulness and genuine intimacy of a totally
unrehearsed actor and the humble presence of the playwright, Nassim
Soleimanpour.
Named for
Soleimanpour, an Iranian now living in Berlin, this startling, funny, cunningly
wrought script also features him as an off-stage character whose hands are the
only visible part of him projected on screen.
By the
second half, Soleimanpour arrives on stage to exuberant applause, although he
remains a silent, but compelling partner for his actor.
As in Soleimanpour’s
previous play, White Rabbit Red Rabbit, each night, a different performer reads
and performs his script for the first time and, on Melbourne’s opening night, Alison
Bell is the guinea pig who opens the box bearing her name, then follows his
instructions.
She reads
lines from a huge screen, tells Soleimanpour’s story and learns his native
language, Farsi, as does the audience.
Although
obviously way out of her comfort zone, Bell remains charmingly wide-eyed and
compliant as she struggles to understand her role, waits for instructions and
comments wryly on her predicament.
Soleimanpour
is a warm, cheeky but provocative presence both on- and off-stage and, with
silent, childlike giggles, he delights in teasing his actor with his tricksy,
witty script that he gleefully reveals is 450 pages.
Nassim is
naive, nostalgic memoir and childhood storytelling, but it is simultaneously a
mischievous taunt at cleverly constructed plays and smug, actorly performances
that rely on technology, rehearsal and slick direction.
Despite its
empty stage and intimacy, Nassim uses technology including a live camera feed, screen
projections, phone texts, family photos and even Skype.
We take our
mother tongue for granted, but Nassim gently reminds us that other people’s
languages elude and confuse us, twist our tongues and slip from our memories in
moments but that, whatever our language, we share a common humanity.
Soleimanpour’s
script is meticulously structured to predict twists or surprises, and the
audience adores and applauds his audacity in a spontaneous standing ovation.
Other artists performing Nassim:
Benjamin Law, Nakkiah Liu, Charlie Pickering, Catherine McClements, Denise
Scott.
By
Kate Herbert
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| Alison Bell in Nassim |
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