by Melbourne Workers' Theatre
written by Patricia Cornelius,
Andrew Bovell, Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Reeves
music by Irine Vela
at Trades Hall until
August 14, 1999
Reviewer: Kate
Herbert
It should come as no surprise that Jeff Kennett cops a hefty
serve of vitriol in the opening monologue of Who's Afraid of the Working Class?
It is the working class or, rather, the workless class,
which has suffered most from the policies of this state government.
This is the return season of this production by Melbourne
Workers' Theatre, a company that, thankfully, has not lost sight of its role as
the mouthpiece of the disenfranchised worker. The show has lost non of its
power, humour or despair. It is an emotional roller coaster ride.
The script comprises four narrative threads written by
Patricia Cornelius, (Money) Andrew Bovell, (Trash) Melissa Reeves (Dreamtown)
and Christos Tsiolkas (Suit). The four are interwoven over the 150 minutes. It
is very satisfying to find characters from apparently disconnected stories,
being mentioned or even strolling through other parts of the play.
Daniela Farinacci and Maria Theodorakis are credible and
hilarious in Reeves story about two 'wog" girls from Coburg who try
shoplifting in disguise as private school girls.
Bovell's tale of two children damaged and alone, victims of
their hapless mother's boyfriend's violence, is a poignant and finally tragic
reminder of life on the other side of the tracks.
Tsiolkas' text is a series of scenes built around a
middle-class aboriginal man. (Tony Briggs). It is horrifying to hear him abuse
and demean a white whore (Eugenia Fragos) in a violent, colour-prejudiced
language. Although the writing is strong, there is less cohesive development of
the narrative in his individual components.
us?
David Adamson's radio manic, talkback radio "autodidact"
is still a highlight of the play.
Secrets and resentments are the mortar in the family in
Cornelius' Money. Father is out of work, son is a thief and mother secretly and
devotedly nurses a dying man for extra cash.
The pain and tragedy, the sense of repression and failure is
enervating but it is alleviated by the sunny and funny moments in the play.
Julian Meyrick has done a clever balancing act with the four sections of the
text, making mileage out of scene changes.
Lighting by Paul Jackson is evocative and dramatic with
backlight outside the Trades Hall windows colouring trees in the street. the
entire program is accompanied by Irene Vela's sonorous Requiem for the Working
Class, played by Adam Merange, Dean Addison and Nick Tsiavos which vibrate in
the belly with the anguish of the characters.
We need more of this political theatre. Surely we still have
the fight inus.
By Kate Herbert
No comments:
Post a Comment