Written by Peter Barnes
By Millstone Theatre Company at Budinski's Fitzroy in Jan-Feb 1996
Reviewer: Kate Herbert, reviewed around 25 Jan 1996
Remember Peter O'Toole draped comico-tragically on a crucifix? That was written by Peter Barnes who also wrote Leonardo's Last Supper.
The black comic elements are also in Leonardo, a short farce written in 1969 about the resurrection of Da Vinci in the workshop of a poor French family of Renaissance undertakers: the stuff of good slapstick.
Although this is not Barnes' best work, he has written some evocative text about 15th century Europe: the plague, the art, the poverty, the merchants. The resurrection of Leonardo could be surprising and hilarious, his recollections of his unfinished works comic-tragic. The relationships between the grotesque and avaricious members of the family have the potential for great slapstick.
Millstone Theatre is a group of Ballarat Uni graduates starting a new company. I wish them luck, but this production has not hit the mark. These actors are so tense it made me anxious, their comedy is forced, they labour the language, over-state the English accents and leave gaping holes and the pace was erratic.
Commedia dell’Arte requires impeccable clowning and comic timing which is not evident in the show. The English accents were distracting and, in one case, incomprehensible.
This company needs a strong director.
By Kate Herbert
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