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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
ROS-a-LIA
Verdict: Quirky psycho-drama
London - Lion & Unicorn - 13 Sept - 9 Oct 05 – 20:00 (21:30)
ROS-a-LIA is 90 minutes of new writing from a cast of 6 (3F, 3M) about the nature of personality. It's in 2 acts (60 min, 40 min) with 15 minute interval.
Medical inventor and bully Rose (Eva Kostarelli) clashes and loves with intimate relation Lily (Catherine Eccles) over life generally and the affection of her husband Joseph (James Preece) in particular. She's in love and hate with a journalist (Marcio Mello) - and he has a friendliness from the past with Joseph. Sexily uniformed maid Nora Fiona Lesley is never quite sure how many mistresses she's serving. A life-size talking parrot (Iain Peacock) is keen to shag Nora, who occasionally curls up in his cage. There's also a layer of politics.
The lustful, jealous, needful and desperate attraction between Lily and Rose is the engine of the play. It's brought to life - often despite an over-wordy script in need of a ruthless edit - by strong performances. Eva Kostarelli is a magnetic Rose - powerful, sexy and charismatic. On a technical basis it's a strong performance too - the character has a colossal amount of script to speak, and is on stage for most of the 90 minutes. Catherine Eccles foils and complements superbly as soft-hearted, gentle Lily - a character with all the qualities Rose doesn't have, and vice versa.
Performances from the leading men - James Preece as Joseph, and Marcio Mello as the journalist, are less convincing, although delivered with enthusiasm. Iain Peacock's Parrot is a curious character. It's not readily obvious what its function is in the play, but Iain Peacock makes the best of what the script provides.
Fiona Lesley as Nora the maid simply steals the night - it's worth the 90 minutes of occasionally dire writing to see her performance. Playing it superbly straight, Fiona Lesley is extremely funny - a natural comedy actress with a well-written role. Sublime.
Nora is also a part that makes complete sense at each of its levels when the play's trick is revealed. The trick is not obvious at the start, but gets flagged up as it progresses - and it's a good one. There is some awfulness in Tamara Candala's writing - quite a lot of clunky, over-wordy dialogue - but flashes of real originality and fragments of excitement too.
Clothes are credited to the cast, in which case Iain Peacock, worryingly, has a parrot suit at home. Costumes for Rose and Lily are exactly apt and stylish, and Nora's camply sexy. The journalist's check trousers are outrageous and should probably be illegal. Set design by the cast is intriguing - suiting and helping create the inner world in which the play takes place.
Those familiar with Victor Sobchak's direction will know it's - unusual. ROS-a-LIA combines his trademark elements of graphic lust and vigorous movement - there's not much standing still (either literally or metaphorically) on Victor Sobchak's stage. He goes tonight, as often in his plays, for the big gesture, the over-stated, the forceful, with an enthusiastic disregard for subtlety. It's a bold approach which can fail spectacularly, but this director doesn't - one might guess - have a faint heart. It works with ROS-a-LIA. It's not a perfect play - what play is? - but it's a quirky one, with the occasional flash of magic.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Catherine Eccles - Lily. Eva Kostarelli - Rose. Fiona Lesley - Nora. Marcio Mello - Journalist. Iain Peacock - Parrot. James Preece - Joseph.
Company Credits: Writer - Tamara Candala. Director & Lighting Design - Victor Sobchak. Stage Design – Cast. Costume – Cast. Technical Operator & Stage Manager - Shohid Rahman. Company - Act Provocateur International (www.actprovocateur.net)
END
John Park
reviewed Thursday 6 October 05 / Lion & Unicorn
reviews@fringereport.com
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2005
related reviews:
Play themes - Persona
Company - Fucking Asylum Seekers
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Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
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