Natural Causes
Tue, 18 June 2002, 05:25 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Natural Causes
Tue, 18 June 2002, 05:25 pmWhat: Natural Causes
Where: Kwinana Theatre Workshop, Kwinana, WA
When: 23 May, 2002
Natural Causes may almost have been written by Jack Kevorkian as an amusing distraction: Walter is having an affair with his secretary, Angie, and trying to rid himself of his repeatedly suicidal wife, Celia. Walter hires Vincent, a professional suicide merchant, to provide swift release with a tasteless, colourless, odourless poison. As you do. The trouble is, the poison keeps getting put in the wrong glasses for the wrong people......
A British farce that seems to be a few years old, the play delighted the elderly patrons. In my opinion, I did feel that as a farce, or even black comedy, it was all played a bit too leisurely and the momentum never really got going.
Vikki Trewick was wonderful as the haunted Celia, making her first entrance as though she lived in the House of Usher. Vikki has a lovely voice, but even better is her ability to speak volumes with but her eyes and facial expressions.
Melissa Merchant made the best of a basically two-dimensional role as Angie the secretary, and, as is stipulated in the KTW constitution, we got to see her underwear. Other members of the cast seemed to be having occasional problems with the lines - not helped by the running commentary from the aged audience.
A very nice GREEN set, but scene changes were at times slow. Also, the lack of any house music whatsoever detracted from the ambiance of the house and the flow of the production. But my goodness, that set was GREEN. Except for the procession of pot plants amusingly used to signify passage of time (that's where most of the poison got tipped).
JB
PS: Did I mention that the set was GREEN?
Where: Kwinana Theatre Workshop, Kwinana, WA
When: 23 May, 2002
Natural Causes may almost have been written by Jack Kevorkian as an amusing distraction: Walter is having an affair with his secretary, Angie, and trying to rid himself of his repeatedly suicidal wife, Celia. Walter hires Vincent, a professional suicide merchant, to provide swift release with a tasteless, colourless, odourless poison. As you do. The trouble is, the poison keeps getting put in the wrong glasses for the wrong people......
A British farce that seems to be a few years old, the play delighted the elderly patrons. In my opinion, I did feel that as a farce, or even black comedy, it was all played a bit too leisurely and the momentum never really got going.
Vikki Trewick was wonderful as the haunted Celia, making her first entrance as though she lived in the House of Usher. Vikki has a lovely voice, but even better is her ability to speak volumes with but her eyes and facial expressions.
Melissa Merchant made the best of a basically two-dimensional role as Angie the secretary, and, as is stipulated in the KTW constitution, we got to see her underwear. Other members of the cast seemed to be having occasional problems with the lines - not helped by the running commentary from the aged audience.
A very nice GREEN set, but scene changes were at times slow. Also, the lack of any house music whatsoever detracted from the ambiance of the house and the flow of the production. But my goodness, that set was GREEN. Except for the procession of pot plants amusingly used to signify passage of time (that's where most of the poison got tipped).
JB
PS: Did I mention that the set was GREEN?