home
|
about
|
news
|
contents
|
gossip
|
photographs
|
venues
|
brighton
|
dublin
|
edinburgh
|
film
|
features
|
interviews
|
awards
|
fashion
|
recipes
|
no more drinks
|
newsletter
|
links
|
contact
Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
HurlyBurly
Verdict: Fine acting and direction
Hurlyburly tracks the lives of 4 men and 3 women on the edge of Hollywood. It's drama, and takes 2 hours with a 10 minute break.
Eddie and Mickey share a flat and sometimes love-item Darlene and sex-item-itinerant-hitchhiker Donna. Eddie criticises everyone including volcanic Phil for whom he procures prostitute-with-standards Bonnie. Artie loafs aimiably. Phil's violence doesn't look good for the other 6 - or will he implode?
All the characters are selfish - their world-view is based mainly on their own interests, but each has a different kind of selfishness. Eddie is introspective, and controls the world by tongue-lashing removal of other people's self-esteem. Phil provokes and hits - especially women. Mickey uses his intelligence and relative sobriety (the rest consume more white powder than a launderette) to manipulate circumstances to his advantage. These three are given 'real people' status by the writer.
The remaining characters are written as ciphers. Artie's the foil to the central trio of men. He's the only one in work, and possessing a crumb of kindness (but only a small crumb). Darlene's written as one of the play's three female stereotypes - the faithless love, flitting between Eddie and Mickey. Bonnie's the tart who'll fuck (to use the play's language) anyone but draws the line at being thrown out of her own car. Donna's the sex toy, also given the classical drama role of the honest fool - who describes situations exactly as she sees them.
It's a formidable play. Two hours less ten minutes at around 150 words per minute (speech is fast, much at shouting volume, and Pinter's silences hadn't been discovered when Hurlyburly was written) is 16,500 words, about a sixth of an airport novel. Technically, it's excellently delivered. The remembering and speaking of the lines is remarkable - they're delivered flawlessly (the American accents are sometimes variable). The actors fully convince that, suspending disbelief, they are the characters written.
It's well-directed (by Tony Hagger), the lighting (designed by Ross McGivern) and sound is artfully designed, the set is perfection (by Mel Rutland & the company).
Daniel Ireson's Eddie is a fine acting achievement, drawing out the full horror of his self-absorbtion. Ian Coop delivers violent nutter Phil in a convincingly terrifying way; as if born to play killer Wayne Hudson in Ben Elton's Popcorn (with which Hurlyburly, written earlier, has similarities - the study of 7 self-obsessed Hollywood characters peppered with violence). Tim Hewitt's sinuous and wily as manipulative Mickey. Alex Barclay's half-sensitive Artie is a warm and affectionate delivery.
The three excellent women actors have a far more difficult task in this - both by its content and structure - horrifically misogynistic script. It's their difficult job to breathe some life into characters struggling to reach even two dimensions. Carolyne Elizabeth Smith injects a subtlety into the part of Darlene that the writing lacks. Kesty Morrison brings a touching humanity to Bonnie. Heidi Woodrow has the most difficult technical problem in the play - to make credible a short part apparently tossed casually from the writer's pen to illustrate the other characters. She does this magnificently, forging a credible human being without help from the script and purely on the strength of her acting.
With this production, Dark Horse Theatre Company delivers fine acting from a strong cast and director.
Cast Credits (alpha order): Alex Barclay - Artie. Ian Coop - Phil. Tim Hewitt - Mickey. Daniel Ireson - Eddie. Kesty Morrison - Bonnie. Carolyne Elizabeth Smith - Darlene. Heidi Woodrow - Donna. (Credits for previous production by this company: Margot Molinari - Darlene. Marlene Yan - Bonnie)
Company Credits: Director / Technical Operator - Tony Hagger. Writer - David Rabe. Designer - The Company. Designer / Stage Manager - Mel Rutland. Lighting Design - Ross McGivern. Company - The Dark Horse Theatre Company. Thanks to: Stefanie Ainsworth, Peter Barlow, Annabel Baxter, Rob Bennison, Jackie Brown, John Dagleish, Neil Ditte, Amanda Fawcett, Geoffrey Hewitt, Jila Hewitt, Cheryl King, Jerry Korpan, Gail Korpan, Gemma Layton, Rob Leach, Side Netting, Lucio Ottaviano, Walter Prime, Barbara Prime, Lizzy Robins, Kai Simmons, Simon Thomas, Phil Underwood, Katey Wimpenny, Frank Hewitt, Kate Hewitt. By permission of Macnaughton Lord 2000 Ltd.
Etcetera Theatre Credits: Theatre Manager - David Bidmead. Literary Manager - Lib Murray. Technical Manager - Mark Howland. Box Office Staff - Hannah Brown, Malcolm Keen, Ayanna Witter-Johnson.
END
John Park
reviewed Friday 5 December 03 / Etcetera Theatre
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
