Alive at Williamstown
Pier Neil Cole
La Mama until
November 11, 1996
Reviewed by Kate
Herbert around Oct 23, 1996
The combination of politician and mental illness is
evidently a sure-fire entertainment drawcard.
La Mama was stuffed to the
rafters even on the second night, notoriously quiet night of Alive at
Williamstown Pier written by Neil Cole (MLA Melbourne). One wonders whether
Jeff Kennett's appearance on IMT had something to do with a psychotic episode.
As a playwright, Cole is a better politician. This is not to
suggest that Williamstown does not have its merits. It boasts some sharp
political satire, numerous snappy gags and a singular, interesting, well-shaped
character in Mick, the manic-depressive.
The deficiencies reside in the fragmented structure of the
script, its mixture of styles and in the clumsiness of the actual production.
The script is at its best when it focuses on the relationship between Dave, the
manic-depressive politician who is Cole's alter ego and his institutionalised
pal, Mick. The naturalistic warmth and wit of their dialogue is a great
strength.
The text would be enhanced by concentrating on this instead
of the rather awkward stylised Vox Pop-come-cabaret interludes and unnecessary
readings from a "Premier's award-winning" novel.
Cole, as playwright, has drawn on his own experience with
bi-polar disorder, otherwise known as manic-depression, to create this
narrative. The character's battle with the public airing of his dirty
psychological linen is directly related to his own newsworthy illness. Not only
is the play a courageous "outing" but it gives mental illness a high profile
and a human face which can only be a positive move.
The direction is unwieldy and the production suffers from
clunky scene changes, painfully slow pacing, a cluttered although interesting
set design and unimaginative staging. The problems with performance arise from
expecting stand-up comics to carry a play. At times, the lead actor was
inaudible in the tiny venue and the emotional landscape of his character
remained unexplored. Richard Heath, however, had some high points as the lively
and tragic Mick.
Death in this play is somehow life affirming. Those who
survive their illness carry on after losing friends to their psychic demons. It
is chastening to remember that the wolf, psychosis, is never too far from the
door.
Kate Herbert
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