Lookout Below !
Fri, 1 Mar 2002, 12:53 amcrgwllms2 posts in thread
Lookout Below !
Fri, 1 Mar 2002, 12:53 amJust saw "Below" at Effie Crump. I know it's a bit late to suggest you get to see this piece, but if you get the chance to see the last performance tomorrow night, I think you'll be impressed.
Unfortunately it's been a while since I saw anything at Effies, and usually it was light frothy stuff, so it was great to be hit with a punchy drama and see it up close and personal, as only the Effies space can force you to!
This turgid and sweaty story by Ian Wilding is remarkable, in that it could so easily have gone down the wrong road into cliche, melodrama, or just trying to shock us for the sake of it; but Wilding has a way of ambiguously showing you where those roads are crossed, yet never straying down that path. Instead he ploughs his own trail and doesn't apologise for what he digs up or damages in the process.
Material this gutsy, on a stage this close and revealing, could've spelt disaster if not handled by the right cast. I thought the three performers were not merely capable, but commanded their roles. Steve Turner, Naomi Hanbury and Igor Sas each gave powerful realisations that captured the audience and carried us through their characters' ordeals admirably. I particularly liked Steve Turner's performance for the way he can display menace and loathsomeness and yet have just the right touch of humour throughout. But it was very much shared between all three actors, and each stood out in their own right. If there was a weak point, it was possibly a loss of clarity in the men's accents, but when it became obvious how the characters' isolation because of their background was intrinsic to the plot, I realised the few lost words were less important than their realistic portrayal.
Marcelle Schmitz has directed this in-your-face story with careful subtlety, drawing out the tension as well as the humour in the long opening sequences, playing out the menace so when the characters snap, we've got nowhere to escape but to ride it out. Atmospheric lighting and a great physicality (particularly the fight scene ending Act 1) kept me drawn in.
A very strong, all-West Aussie production. I hope it tours somewhere, and I hope Wilding's writing continues to provoke and be seen across the nation.
crgwllms
(The Review Monitor lizard)
<8>-/=====/--------------
Unfortunately it's been a while since I saw anything at Effies, and usually it was light frothy stuff, so it was great to be hit with a punchy drama and see it up close and personal, as only the Effies space can force you to!
This turgid and sweaty story by Ian Wilding is remarkable, in that it could so easily have gone down the wrong road into cliche, melodrama, or just trying to shock us for the sake of it; but Wilding has a way of ambiguously showing you where those roads are crossed, yet never straying down that path. Instead he ploughs his own trail and doesn't apologise for what he digs up or damages in the process.
Material this gutsy, on a stage this close and revealing, could've spelt disaster if not handled by the right cast. I thought the three performers were not merely capable, but commanded their roles. Steve Turner, Naomi Hanbury and Igor Sas each gave powerful realisations that captured the audience and carried us through their characters' ordeals admirably. I particularly liked Steve Turner's performance for the way he can display menace and loathsomeness and yet have just the right touch of humour throughout. But it was very much shared between all three actors, and each stood out in their own right. If there was a weak point, it was possibly a loss of clarity in the men's accents, but when it became obvious how the characters' isolation because of their background was intrinsic to the plot, I realised the few lost words were less important than their realistic portrayal.
Marcelle Schmitz has directed this in-your-face story with careful subtlety, drawing out the tension as well as the humour in the long opening sequences, playing out the menace so when the characters snap, we've got nowhere to escape but to ride it out. Atmospheric lighting and a great physicality (particularly the fight scene ending Act 1) kept me drawn in.
A very strong, all-West Aussie production. I hope it tours somewhere, and I hope Wilding's writing continues to provoke and be seen across the nation.
crgwllms
(The Review Monitor lizard)
<8>-/=====/--------------
crgwllmsFri, 1 Mar 2002, 12:53 am
Just saw "Below" at Effie Crump. I know it's a bit late to suggest you get to see this piece, but if you get the chance to see the last performance tomorrow night, I think you'll be impressed.
Unfortunately it's been a while since I saw anything at Effies, and usually it was light frothy stuff, so it was great to be hit with a punchy drama and see it up close and personal, as only the Effies space can force you to!
This turgid and sweaty story by Ian Wilding is remarkable, in that it could so easily have gone down the wrong road into cliche, melodrama, or just trying to shock us for the sake of it; but Wilding has a way of ambiguously showing you where those roads are crossed, yet never straying down that path. Instead he ploughs his own trail and doesn't apologise for what he digs up or damages in the process.
Material this gutsy, on a stage this close and revealing, could've spelt disaster if not handled by the right cast. I thought the three performers were not merely capable, but commanded their roles. Steve Turner, Naomi Hanbury and Igor Sas each gave powerful realisations that captured the audience and carried us through their characters' ordeals admirably. I particularly liked Steve Turner's performance for the way he can display menace and loathsomeness and yet have just the right touch of humour throughout. But it was very much shared between all three actors, and each stood out in their own right. If there was a weak point, it was possibly a loss of clarity in the men's accents, but when it became obvious how the characters' isolation because of their background was intrinsic to the plot, I realised the few lost words were less important than their realistic portrayal.
Marcelle Schmitz has directed this in-your-face story with careful subtlety, drawing out the tension as well as the humour in the long opening sequences, playing out the menace so when the characters snap, we've got nowhere to escape but to ride it out. Atmospheric lighting and a great physicality (particularly the fight scene ending Act 1) kept me drawn in.
A very strong, all-West Aussie production. I hope it tours somewhere, and I hope Wilding's writing continues to provoke and be seen across the nation.
crgwllms
(The Review Monitor lizard)
<8>-/=====/--------------
Unfortunately it's been a while since I saw anything at Effies, and usually it was light frothy stuff, so it was great to be hit with a punchy drama and see it up close and personal, as only the Effies space can force you to!
This turgid and sweaty story by Ian Wilding is remarkable, in that it could so easily have gone down the wrong road into cliche, melodrama, or just trying to shock us for the sake of it; but Wilding has a way of ambiguously showing you where those roads are crossed, yet never straying down that path. Instead he ploughs his own trail and doesn't apologise for what he digs up or damages in the process.
Material this gutsy, on a stage this close and revealing, could've spelt disaster if not handled by the right cast. I thought the three performers were not merely capable, but commanded their roles. Steve Turner, Naomi Hanbury and Igor Sas each gave powerful realisations that captured the audience and carried us through their characters' ordeals admirably. I particularly liked Steve Turner's performance for the way he can display menace and loathsomeness and yet have just the right touch of humour throughout. But it was very much shared between all three actors, and each stood out in their own right. If there was a weak point, it was possibly a loss of clarity in the men's accents, but when it became obvious how the characters' isolation because of their background was intrinsic to the plot, I realised the few lost words were less important than their realistic portrayal.
Marcelle Schmitz has directed this in-your-face story with careful subtlety, drawing out the tension as well as the humour in the long opening sequences, playing out the menace so when the characters snap, we've got nowhere to escape but to ride it out. Atmospheric lighting and a great physicality (particularly the fight scene ending Act 1) kept me drawn in.
A very strong, all-West Aussie production. I hope it tours somewhere, and I hope Wilding's writing continues to provoke and be seen across the nation.
crgwllms
(The Review Monitor lizard)
<8>-/=====/--------------
Amanda ChestertonFri, 1 Mar 2002, 06:27 pm
RE: Lookout Below !
I wholeheartedly agree.
I saw this show a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. Great performances, masterful direction and a gripping script.
And for Equity members it's free, free, free! Best money I haven't had to spend in a long time.
Don't miss this show - last performances tonight and tomorrow night.
Amanda Chesterton
I saw this show a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. Great performances, masterful direction and a gripping script.
And for Equity members it's free, free, free! Best money I haven't had to spend in a long time.
Don't miss this show - last performances tonight and tomorrow night.
Amanda Chesterton