Life During Wartime by Keith Reddin
Soup Kitchen Theatre
Athenaeum Theatre 2, until August 31, 1997
Reviewer: Kate
Herbert around July 18, 1997
American society is
riddled with urban warfare. Home are defended by owners with small arms caches
and-or high-tech security systems. Keith Reddin's play is a generally light
commentary on the moral decline of a community that fights violence with more
violence or protects itself with a fortress mentality.
Soup Kitchen Theatre performs this very American text in
Australian accents with one very odd exception. This characterises the many
unsuccessful choices made by the writer, director (Catherine Hill) and some of
the actors.
Although the basic premise of the play may work, Reddin's
unsuccessfully attempts to blend naturalism and farce in his text and this
creates enormous problems for any production.
The 'real' story concerns a young security systems salesman
(Brett Tucker) who falls in love with an older woman (Clarissa House) who is
his client. His boss (Peter Roberts) runs a dodgy show that manufactures
burglaries of properties to promote sales. This all leads to grief.
The other story is an amusing moralistic running commentary
by John Calvin himself, played with puritanical relish by Jim Daly. Calvin prattles
on about pre-determination, Original Sin, the immorality of theatre and, with
comic anachronism, violent movies and parenting in Leave it To Beaver.
Unfortunately, the naturalism collapses into daytime soap
opera with platitudes masquerading as dialogue. Characterisation is thin, which
is not assisted by some very wooden acting in major roles. Reddin ends the play
with Calvin in an awkward dialogue with other characters who suddenly begin to
talk directly to audience.
The saving grace is Daly who, as Calvin, ponces and
pontificates, sneers and patronises to perfection. His other cameos, a
weapon-mad homeowner and an oddball neighbour, are a welcome relief from the
tedium as is Samuel Johnson (his real name!) who demonstrates great comic
skill.
The design of geometric vertical household blinds is
initially interesting but the blinds continually swan across the stage to
provide new locations and to mask slow scene changes. This becomes predictable,
annoying and fragments the stage.
Evocative lighting by Daniel Zika dapples the blinds but
surprisingly did not explore the potential of any back lighting through slats
which might have covered some rather obvious backstage movement of furniture
and cast.
KATE HERBERT
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